diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-0.txt | 5898 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-0.zip | bin | 119178 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h.zip | bin | 3355792 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/60807-h.htm | 7708 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 196889 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_008f.jpg | bin | 103039 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_014f.jpg | bin | 118326 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_018f.jpg | bin | 81128 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_020f.jpg | bin | 82180 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_028f.jpg | bin | 90960 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_032f.jpg | bin | 78124 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_048f.jpg | bin | 68236 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_050f.jpg | bin | 121385 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_062f.jpg | bin | 94194 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_078f.jpg | bin | 114490 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_090.jpg | bin | 21178 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_090f.jpg | bin | 85806 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_094f.jpg | bin | 81342 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_106f.jpg | bin | 104406 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_112f.jpg | bin | 95039 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_114f.jpg | bin | 138837 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_118f.jpg | bin | 141283 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_120f.jpg | bin | 144288 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_128f.jpg | bin | 116752 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_136f.jpg | bin | 76173 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_140f.jpg | bin | 81448 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_152f.jpg | bin | 80390 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_170f.jpg | bin | 71443 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_172f.jpg | bin | 61635 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_174f.jpg | bin | 64403 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_176f.jpg | bin | 61805 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_182f.jpg | bin | 99590 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_184f.jpg | bin | 97746 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_190f.jpg | bin | 78505 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_194f.jpg | bin | 80159 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_196f.jpg | bin | 87381 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_212f.jpg | bin | 67119 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_acorns.jpg | bin | 3153 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_frontis.jpg | bin | 122927 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/60807-h/images/i_title.jpg | bin | 15650 -> 0 bytes |
43 files changed, 17 insertions, 13606 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4e8e68b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60807 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60807) diff --git a/old/60807-0.txt b/old/60807-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dd79262..0000000 --- a/old/60807-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5898 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Ole Mars an' Ole Miss, by Edmund K. Goldsborough - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Ole Mars an' Ole Miss - -Author: Edmund K. Goldsborough - -Release Date: November 29, 2019 [EBook #60807] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLE MARS AN' OLE MISS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, MFR, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: - - Meh Marster, you mo’ an’ mo’ like Mars Francis ev’y day, same bright - eyes, like uh fish hawk’s, but sorf an’ big. -] - - - - - OLE MARS - AN’ - OLE MISS - - - BY - - EDMUND K. GOLDSBOROUGH, M. D. - -[Illustration] - - WASHINGTON, D. C.: - NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO., - 1900. - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1900 - - BY - - EDMUND K. GOLDSBOROUGH, M. D. - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - ❧❧ - - - _Ole Mars_, _Frontispiece_ - - _Page_ - - _Miss Sanson in the saddle_, _8_ - - _Ef’n you don’ git of’n dat cow I’ll whup you tell dere - ain’ no bref lef’ in you_, _14_ - - _Tench Tilghman_, _18_ - - _Anne Francis_, _20_ - - _Miss Henrietta’s gift that hung over the pulpit_, _28_ - - _Tench Francis_, _32_ - - _Mars Pinckney when a boy_, _48_ - - _Pawson Demby baptizing Tilly Mink just after cutting - ice_, _50_ - - _Mars Pinckney’s home, “Fausley,”_ _62_ - - _The picture on the face of the Moses clock_, _78_ - - _Mars Torm fishing in Black Creek_, _90_ - - _Rob Roy and Rose_, _94_ - - _Yo’ gwine ter merry uh King an’ hab thutteen chillun_, _106_ - - _Dem two gals, Marfy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de watah - sorf crabbin’, is meh gran’chillun_, _112_ - - _Deah gre’t gran’mammy gibs ’em too much cawn-bred, an’ - hit natchelly puts noshuns in deah haids_, _114_ - - _Ole Mars had de gre’tes’ confluence in meh ’rasity_, _118_ - - _Scipio Jonas Jones and Nimrod_, _120_ - - _So I bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see - Ole Mars’ boutin Saul_, _128_ - - _Black Creek Falls_, _136_ - - _Ole Mistis at sweet sixteen_, _140_ - - _Ole Miss (Miss Henrietta)_, _152_ - - _Black Creek Ford_, _170_ - - _Skylark_, _172_ - - _Mars Matthew_, _174_ - - _Ezra_, _176_ - - _Miss Mary_, _182_ - - _Mars Arthur_, _184_ - - _Miss Sanson_, _190_ - - _Mars Torm_, _194_ - - _Ezra and the children_, _196_ - - _Mammy_, _212_ - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - ❧❧ - - -_My subjects are all typical Eastern-Shore-of-Maryland darkies, some of -whom “had erligion, ’longed ter de Babtis’ chuch an’ wuz monstus pious.” -Others danced, sang, played the banjo, fiddled, fished and frolicked in -Talbot County “Befo’ de Wah.”_ - - “_Ole Joe kickin’ up behin’ an’ befo’, - Yaller gal kirkin’ up behin’ ole Joe._” - -_Their smiling, shining, happy faces can be fully appreciated only by -those who played with them, heard them sing, preach and pray, and had -among them Mammies._ - - _To all such I dedicate this volume._ - -[Illustration: - - MISS SANSON IN THE SADDLE. -] - - - - - PERSONS REPRESENTED - - ❧❧ - - - _Parson Phil Demby_ - - _An adept in breaking colts and steers, and especially hearts. Can read - a wee bit and has a remarkable memory. Very gallant among the dusky - damsels. Has the best coon dogs on the plantation._ - - - _Uncle Reubin Viney_ - - _Sensible, truthful and pious. Sir Oracle among the negroes. Can read - some and is familiar with the Bible._ - - - _Damon Danridge_ - - _Courtly, intelligent and observant body servant to Rev. William - Pinckney. His bow would have charmed Beau Brummel._ - - - _Ezra_ - - _Quite as much of a beau as Rosin, and not as pious as the prophet._ - - - _Frisby Jemes_ - - _A pupil of Uncle Reubin Viney. Afraid of shirks [sharks]._ - - - _Scipio Jones_ - - _A firm believer in witches, ghosts and “spirits,” especially - applejack._ - - - _Hesakiah Sprouts_ - - _Would rather coon hunt than debate. A fiddler._ - - - _Little Billy_ - - _A crafty wag. Nimble witted._ - - - _Juba Viney_ - - _A fine singer and hymn raiser. Kinsman to Uncle Reubin._ - - - _Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes_ - - _A pompous, dandy darkey; very wise in his own conceit. A good - preacher._ - - - _Stephen Demby (Uncle Stephen)_ - - _A dear old servant. A devoted fisherman. Little and Bent._ - - - _John Poney_ - - _A very entertaining darkey. Took hold of his wool when he bowed to - you._ - - - - _Jerry Butler and Caesar Butler_ - - _Brothers. Very credulous and superstitious. Free negroes._ - - - _Horace Duley_ - - _Janitor._ - - - _Aunt Phillis_ - - _Gentle, sweet tempered, intelligent cook. Everybody liked Aunt - Phillis._ - - - _Tilly Mink_ - - _Chickens were afraid of her, and roosted high when she was about._ - - - _Sue Benson_ - - _A good natured, lazy housemaid._ - - - _Becky Williams_ - - _A faithful nurse._ - - - _Sister Chew_ - - _A dairymaid._ - - - _Mammy_ - - _Good as gold._ - - - _Nancy Young_ - - _A fortune teller._ - - - _Uncle David_ - - _Who loved his mule._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - ❧❧ - - - “_Fogitfulness_,” _21_ - - _Acts 7:8—“Ab’ham fogot Isaac, Isaac fogot Jacob, an’ Jacob fogot de - twelve Petracks [Patriarchs].”_ - - _Debate_, _34_ - - _Ef’n uh man er ’ooman hab salbation in deah hyarts, will dey be feard - ter babtize wha shirks [sharks] is._ - - _“Romp’s Mustake”—Doggerel_, _45_ - - _“Little Billy’s Pumpkin”—Story_, _47_ - - _Sermon—Psalm 63:6_, _60_ - - _Debate_, _76_ - - _From Zachariah 2:6—“Ef’n Ho Ho wan’ uh Chine er Japne, who wuz he?”_ - - _“Rash-nal an’ Pus-nal”—Doggerel_, _90_ - - _“De Composation ub de Snipe”—Story_, _91_ - - _“Nancy Young”—Story_, _100_ - - _“Mars Pinckney’s ’Simmons”—Doggerel_, _110_ - - _“Dem Days”—Story_, _112_ - - _“Dat Chrismus Cake”—Doggerel_, _126_ - - _“When Saul Run ’Way”—Story_, _127_ - - _“Let Us Meck Brick”—Sermon_, _137_ - - _“Juba Viney’s Yaller Pants”—Story_, _153_ - - _“His Bref Kinleth Coals”—Sermon_, _164_ - - _“Dat Auntydote”—Doggerel_, _171_ - - _“Ezra”—Story_, _173_ - - _“Mammy”—Doggerel_, _213_ - - _“Anah”—Story_, _215_ - - - - - “OTWELL.” - - -Otwell was originally an estate of some 2,000 acres, situated on a -beautiful peninsula, the land rich and productive, and the forest would -have charmed Silvanus. Here and there on the shores of the inlets grew -majestic oaks, black walnut, and immemorial elms. The peach, pear, -apricot, fig and other fruit trees flourished, and would have charmed -Eve, and the Cart House apples, Adam. - -The forest was entirely of lofty pines—many of the trees so large that -one tree made a canoe; they were made and used principally by the -servants and were in evidence almost everywhere. The forest had very -little undergrowth; the ground was carpeted and cushioned with pine -fallings, and the huntsmen were delighted when reynard was started -there. The murmuring of the wind in the lofty pine tops, the tongueing -of the hounds “like sweet bells jangled out of tune,” delighted the -hearts of the Tilghmans, Chamberlains, Dickinsons, Tripps, Robins, -Lloyds and many others that followed the hounds, horsemen of the -first-flight type. The hunt over, there was “The feast of reason and the -flow of soul.” - -The river was as lovely as the Bay of Spezia, and from its bed and -shores the canvas-back and red-head plucked the wild celery and -fattened. Fish, terrapin and oysters abounded, and the _mint_ -luxuriated. The Eastern Shore of Maryland was then as now the garden -spot and sunny side of creation. - -Before the hour of parting two songs were always sung, “Sportsman Hall” -and “The Bottle,” the former sent by The Beef Steak Club of London to -one of the above named gentlemen. I could give the words, rich and rare, -left me by my father, but delicacy forbids; both are exquisite double -entendres fit to sing before kings, but not before queens. - -There was a school at Otwell, taught by John Singleton and —— Garrick, -two fine belles-lettres scholars, to which came the Robins from Job’s -Content, Tilghmans from Plimhimmon, Chamberlains from Bondfield, Haskins -from Canterbury Manor, Morrises and Collisters from Oxford. John -Singleton’s sister was the mother of the eminent portrait painter, John -Singleton Copley, who on a visit to his Uncle at Otwell with his former -preceptor, Smibert, made portraits of Anne Francis, James Tilghman, -Matthew Tilghman and his wife, nee Annie Lloyd, whilst spending -Christmas there. - -[Illustration: - - Dem’s meh gre’t gran’ chillun an’ dey monstus bad! Ef’n you don’ git - of’n dat cow I’ll whup you till da ain’ no bref lef ’in you. -] - -Standing on his front porch Ole Mars Nickey viewed his broad acres, -whose shores were washed by the Tred-Avon, by crystal creeks, and coves -with beautiful mouths that kissed with briny lips the bosom of the -river. The windmill on the shore added to the scenery as its sails moved -languidly, grinding the wheat and corn for the negroes. - -To the south on the river side was the little town of Oxford, a tobacco -port, and riding at anchor was a brigantine from Liverpool, being loaded -with tobacco by Morris & Callister (Robert Morris and Henry Callister), -shipping merchants.[1] - -From the back porch, through a long, wide and high arbor entwined with -fruitful grapevines, you saw Otwell Creek, and the arbor-way led you -into a more enchanting garden than the one mentioned in “EZRA,” where my -fancy loves to wander, for “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.” - -It was some fifteen acres in extent. The encircling fences were so -overgrown with honeysuckle, clematis and trailing roses as to look like -a flowery hedge, with here and there lilacs and snowballs. The winding, -wooing walks were hedged with box, and bowing trees were caressed by -fruitful grapevines. It was a banqueting place for bees, and a paradise -for birds, from little Jennie Wren to the proud mocking bird, and they -filled acres of air with their melodious lays. - -Ezra loved to assist old Kurchibell, the Scotch gardener, and one day he -was heard to say, “Mr. Kurchibell ain’ no gyardner less’n he kill dem -plegon sassy catbirds and robins; dey jes spilin’ all dem cherries. I’m -gwine right straight an tell Ole Mars an Ole Miss!” Betimes Ezra would -saunter with basket on each arm to the garden and gather the dew-kissed -peaches, apricots, juicy melons and other fruits, and later cull the -100–leaf roses and assist the old gardener in distilling them. The rose -cakes left were tucked away in the house linen, the fragrance of which -in fancy I still inhale. - -The apple trees flung down so many blossoms that they covered the -ground. All are gone! so are the other fruit trees and fragrant vines. - - “Leaves have their time to fall - And flowers to wither at the North - Wind’s breath, - And stars to set; but all— - Thou hast all seasons for thine - Own, O death!” - -About the middle of the garden was a large bower, roughly made of cedar, -but as strong as Jacob’s ladder. Clematis, honeysuckle and beautiful -trailing roses covered its sides and dome-shaped top so thoroughly that -only here and there little sunbeams could pierce and play among the -interwoven vines and blossoms. In the center of the bower was a large -table, from which fruit was eaten, cards played, tea made (echo), and -love made! Almost within arm’s reach of the arbor was a brimming spring, -whose water was soft and pure as a dewdrop. The spring is there to-day, -and, like the brook, flows on forever. - -When the weather was dry Miss Henrietta dipped its pellucid water and -sprinkled the thirsty arbor vines, - - “But O! for the touch of a vanished hand - And the sound of a voice that is still.” - -Around the spring grew _mint_ in exuberance, that was as much cared for -as the foxhounds. Mayhap in that arbor Tench Francis tinkled the sides -of his glass in mixing _sugar_ and _grass with spirits_, sipped and read -letters from his gay and brilliant nephew, [2]Sir Phillip Francis, the -supposed author of the letters of Junius, then one of England’s Counsel -for India; maybe told all about his duel with Warren Hastings, then -Governor-General of India; for we know that his cousin, the beautiful -Anne Francis, visited “Otwell” with her husband, James Tilghman, who met -there his brother, Matthew, the great patriot, and his wife, who was -charming Anne Lloyd. There, too, Tench Tilghman, aide-de-camp to -Washington, and his wife, spent happy hours. Later his daughter married -the host, and there in luxury and loving kindness lived - - “OLE MARS an’ OLE MISS.” - -’Twas a very cold Sunday in December. The sun shone brightly, but the -wind was on a frolic. High-crested, white-capped waves leaped upon and -lashed the shore. Ole Miss, as usual, had service for the house servants -in the brick kitchen. She said the Lord’s prayer, read the 63d psalm, -commented upon their deportment for the past week and then they were -dismissed. - -Pawson Demby was to preach in the new Zion church, and the servants were -now on the lawn looking for the Plimhimmon, Bondfield and Job’s Content -boats. In those days visiting was done for the most part by water, the -numerous creeks, coves and bays making distance so great by land. The -servants used the eight-oared barges, boats of burden, with sails and -generally two masts, called a pinnace; they carried to the large -schooners wheat, corn and other cereals for the Baltimore market, and in -return brought hogsheads of molasses, sugar, coffee, rice, boots and -shoes for the servants. - -[Illustration: - - TENCH TILGHMAN. -] - -Presently Little Billy sang out, “Heah dey come!” and sure enough, -rounding Wind Mill Point and turning into Otwell Creek, were three -barges—tip-tap-toe—each pulled by eight lusty oars. The angry roar of -the waves, the struggling boats, the landscape and the breaking billows -made it a picturesque sight. Soon they were at the wharf. Most of them -were house servants, and it would be for me a hopeless task to describe -their raiment, the old-time courtesies, graceful bows and how-dys with -which they greeted one another. - -Those negroes were environed for generations with kindness, culture, -refinement and Christian teaching, so that many of them had finished -manners, knew perfectly - - “How ter wait - On Marster’s table an’ han’ de plate, - Pars de bottle when he dry - And brush away de blue-tail fly.” - -They were dependent, kind, obedient, full of music, contentment, and -happiness. The venom of the politician and carpetbagger had not stung -them. - -Greetings over, they all strolled to the new brick church, distant about -three-quarters of a mile. Like all the churches of that day, the pulpit -was much nearer heaven than the pews, and above it hung a picture given -them by Miss Henrietta. It had a bell, a clock—described in Ho-Ho—and a -fireplace large enough for half a dozen darkies to stand and warm -themselves. When all were seated Uncle Stephen was asked to pray, and -then Parson Phil Demby preached. - -His text was “Fogitfulness.” - -[Illustration: - - ANNE FRANCIS. -] - - - - - “FOGITFULNESS.”[3] - - -“Dat is de subjec’ ub my discose dis mawnin’ and I is preachen mo’ -’specially to de chillun in de meetin’ house. Uncle Reubin Viney an’ I -was a huskin’ cawn lars’ week an’ he tol’ me boutin dis tex’, and arsked -me to preach fum it; an’ you will find de ’zact words in de 7th chapta -ub Acts, 8th vus: ‘Ab’ham fogot Isaac, Isaac fogot Jacob and Jacob fogot -de twelve Petracks.’ Dem ole Petracks was a pow’ful fogitful race ub -people! Now, ten ub dem Petracks, Simeon, Levi an’ Zebulon, dey wuz Miss -Leah’s chillun (I fogit de names ub de res’ ub her chillun, but dey wuz -all Jews). An’ Joseph an’ Benjamin, dey wuz Miss Rachel’s chillun, an’ -de Bible say dey wuz saints. One ub ’em er his uncle, I fogit which, -foun’ some mules in de wilderness ez he wuz watchin’ his father’s sheep, -but he wuz so fogitful dat he didn’t gib de names ub de mules or how -many dey wuz—some people say da wan’ no mules at all, dey wuz all -Jackasses. Well, lemmy see—da wuz two mo’ ub Jacob’s sons (I dun mention -five), an’ I fogit deah Ma’s name, but deah names wuz Dan an’ Naptha, or -sompin’ like dat (I lef’ my specks hom’). I don’ think dey wuz Jews, er -Dukes like Esau’s sons, an’ I don’ ’zactly no deah ’ligion, but I specks -dem two wuz Babtis’s. ’Pears to me I hearn Uncle Reubin say so! -How-some-eber, all ub dem chillun ub Jacob’s wuz born in Panorama -[Padanaram] an’ dey’s all uh pow’ful fogitful race ub people. - -“Brudderin, da is nothin’ ez bad ez fogitfulness. Ef’n my memory wuz not -good (kase I lef’ my specks at hom’) I could not gib you any ub dese -beautiful names. Now, den, dese ten brudders wuz sent by deah Pa way -down in Egyp’ lan’ futto buy cawn fum deah eleventh brudder. An’ bless -yo’ soul, when dey got down da, dey didn’t eben no deah brudder—but he -no’d dem. Mebby de color ub his coat ’fused ’em. I tell you dem old -Petracks is a pow’ful fogitful race ub people. So wuz deah Ma’s an’ -Pa’s. Laban, de Granpa ub de Petracks, and prob’ly de bigist farmer in -dem days, wuz uh fogitful man. We is told dat Jacob (wonder why dey jes’ -call ’em Jacob), an’ Noahy, an’ Moses, an’ Peter, an’ Rasmus dey’s mos’ -ub ’em kings an’ dukes an’ sich like. I mus’ ask Uncle Reubin boutin -dat. Well, Jacob merried Miss Rachel, so he did, but I specks Jacob got -a little _het up_ at de weddin’. An’ Laban, he mus’ hab had some ros’ -apples wid apple-jack. Brudderin, apples is bin makin’ trubble eber -since Adam totch ’em—kase Laban he fogot which daughter Jacob wuz gwine -ter marry. ’Pears like Jacob fogot, too, kase he didn’t scover de -mustak’ till de nex’ mawnin’. An’ ’pears like Miss Leah an’ Miss Rachel -fogot. Now, wan’ dey uh fogitful lot ub people? De nex’ mawnin’ arfter -de weddin’—or as de Bible say, de feas’—when Jacob got up to milk de -cows an’ yoke de oxin, da was Miss Leah up, an’ shakin’ down de stove -an’ grindin’ de coffee. An’ Jacob say, ‘Wha Rachel?’ an’ Miss Leah say, -‘I dunno nuffin boutin Rachel.’ Da wuz uh mustak’ some wha, sho. So -Jacob merried ’em bof to be sartin an’ pleas’ Laban. No wonder dat de -Petracks wuz uh fogitful race wid four Ma’s an’ uh Pa all fogitful; an’, -mine you, Miss Rachel she wuz so fogitful seems to me her mine mus’ hab -been ’stressed, kase you recommember when her boys Jacob an’ Esau went -out an’ kilt uh deer, she fogot which kilt it—leas’wise it ’pears so. -Well, as fo’ dat, I specks de fus’ man, Adam, hissef was absen’-minded. -He sut’ny lubbed fruit. We all knows dat. An’ I specks he wuz hongry, -an’ mebby po’ Adam when he clum up de apple tree in de dark tho’t it wuz -uh peach tree—kase when a man is hongry he ain’ ’stressin’ hissef boutin -de fruit, so it’s good. An’ I specks he got ’fused ’bout de trees, kase -dat gyarden wuz full ub fruit trees, from apple trees clean down to -cucumbers and watermillions. - -“King Dabid come outin uh fogitful fam’ly. De Bible tell us dat in dem -days Pharez fogot Hezron, an’ Hezron fogot Ram——” - -Sister Becky (interrupting): “Pawson Demby, you mus’ mean Ham or Sham?” - -“Chile, I kin read; I means Ram! Dat’s what I mean! Ram wuz uh white -pusson; Ham wuz uh cullud pusson. Well, dey kep’ on fogittin’ till Jesse -fogot Dabid. But blessid to say, de lars’ one wuz not uh fogitter; he -recommembered mos’ too well—leas’wise fuh dese days. He had Uriahy kilt -kase he wuz rite smart tuck on Uriahy’s wife. In dese days it’s mo’ dan -de chuch ’low; how-some-eber, in dem days it didn’t stress uh pusson -ef’n uh man’s wife fogot him, kase dey had so many dey wouldn’t miss -’em, ’cep’in five er six lef’ ’em. Now, chillun, boys wuz bad in dem -days same as now. Po’ King Dabid’s son ’stressed him pow’ful, but he -neber fogot him, an’ he mus’ uh favo’d he Pa and bin uh monstus -fine-lookin’ chile, kase de Bible say—lemmy read it to you: ‘Ab-so-lum -wuz prais’ fuh he beauty fum de sole ub he foot ebin to de crown ub he -haid.’ An’ de king wuz gwine to meck a Babtis’ preacher outin him, but -he fogot his po’ father an’ run uh way; and what wuz de consequasion ub -dat boy’s badness? Sistus an’ chillun, it’s wussa dan stealin’ -watermillions er chickens; it’s mos’ ez bad ez dancin’ an’ playin’ de -fiddle on de Sabbuth. Well, de Bible tell us dat Ab-so-lum[4] rid ’pon -uh mule, an’ de mule went under de thick bows ub uh jack oak, an’ his -haid kotch hold ub de oak (I mean de haid ub little Ab-so-lum) an’ he -wuz’ tuck up ’tween de heaben an’ de uth; an’ de mule dat wuz under him -went ’way, an’ dat wuz de las’ ub po’ Ab-so-lum. Ez many hosses ez dat -ventersum chil’ mus’ uh had, an’ ez many ez his brudder Solomon had, -it’s quare to me why he rid uh ornry mule. Dey mus’ uh bin uh breed ub -mules an’ jackasses dat’s died out—kase mules an’ jackasses wuz de -favorite beases in dem days. - -“De chillun ub Ephram fogot de works ub de Lawd, an’ his wonders, arfter -he had rain down manner ’pon ’em to eat. Uncle Reubin say de manner wuz -mushrooms. De reason ub de flood, is kase de chillun ub man fogot deah -benefits. Dey wan’t satisfied wid creeks an’ ribbers, but dey mus’ -provok’ uh flood. Is dar any pusson in dis chuch dat would fogit Miles -Ribber? De Petracks would. Dunno though! Kase I reckin da wan’t no -ribbers in dem days lubly as Miles Ribber. Kin I eber fogit her wha’ I -wuz born? How it charm an’ conjur me when I goes fishin’, oysterin’ er -crabbin’ in de mawnin’s, when de ribber is cam. Den de trees is ’flected -in de watah an’ de heb’nly clouds meck rainbows in de watah. An’ dat -Miles Ribber is so clare when de trees is ’flected in de mawnin’ befo’ -de sun-up, you kin see de jewdraps on de leabes. An’ sometimes all day -long when de breeze is sorf de sun plays on de ripples, an’ when de sun -git tired an’ sink in de wes’ de moon plays on de watah sorter ridin’ de -canterin’ wabes. An’ de hooppo-wills sing, an’ de mockin’ birds chant, -an’ de wabes chases de moonlight, an’ de moonlight chases de wabes; an’ -de stars way down deep in de watah winks an’ twinks at yer, an’ dey -looks ez bright ez de eyes ub Phareoh’s daughter an’ almos’ ez sorf’ ez -uh possum’s. It’s uh sin to play on de fiddle, flute an’ fife, an’ to -dance, but, brudderin, it’s ’spirin’ an’ heb’nly to see de moon dance on -Miles Ribber, spreadin’ hissef on de top ub de wabes, makin’ dem de -color ub silver, jes’ like dear ole Missis hyah. - -“Yes! Pawson Demby born close to Miles Ribber, an’ he lubs de watah nex’ -to music. I’d lub to hab bin on de ark; dey tells me mos’ everything wuz -on it, so ’cose music wuz. An’ I wouldn’t be s’prised ef dat sweet -little cullud boy, Ham, didn’t play de banjo, an’ Sham de bones, an’ -’cose de udder brudder (I fogit his name) played! I reckin de hyarp. -Kase hyarps wuz in de fashin in dem days. Dear little Dabid used to play -de hyarp at night when he watched his Pa’s flocks, to make hissef feel -happy, an’ to skere de wolves an’ bars ’way. An’ he played fuh Saul er -his daughter, I fogit which. Wonder how dey got deah hyarp an’ banjo -strings dem days. Well, I kin almos’ see dat jus’ man, de captin ub de -boat, arfter all de beases bin fed an’ bedded, set down in de stern ub -de ship, take de rudder, lite his pipe, sigh fuh de watahs to cease an’ -long fuh his dove to come back. An’ when de moon ris I specks Ham chune -his banjo, Sham his bones, an’ de udder brudder wid a quare name, twank -de hyarp. An’ den dey mus’ hab played, ‘Roll, Jordan, Roll,’ ‘One Bright -Ribber to Cross,’ ‘Swing Lo’, Sweet Chariot,’ ‘Go Down Moses,’ till de -stars sunk in de skies, and de beases got relarmed. - -“Brudderin, we ain’t sung dat lars him fuh uh long time. Uncle Eph, you -rase it an’ we will sing some ub de vuses, so I kin res’ mehsef uh -little.” - - - GO DOWN MOSES. - - When Israel wuz in Egypt’s lan’: - Let meh people go, - Oppressed so hard dey could not stand, - Let meh people go. - - Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land, - Tell ole Pharoh, Let meh people go. - - O, twuz uh dark an’ dismal nite, - Let meh people go; - When Moses led de Israelites, - Let meh people go. - - Go down, Moses, etc. - - O, cum ’long Moses, yo’ll not git los’, - Let meh people go; - Stritch out yo’ rod an cum across, - Let meh people go. - - Go down, Moses, etc. - - Yo’ll not git los’ in de wilderness, - Let meh people go; - Wid a lighted candle in yo’ bres’, - Let meh people go. - - Go down, Moses, etc. - - ’Twas jes ’boutin harvis’ time, - Let meh people go; - When Joshua led his hos’ divine, - Let meh people go. - - Go down, Moses, etc. - -[Illustration: - - Miss Henrietta’s gift, that hung above the pulpit. -] - -“Brudderin, da wuz one man dat wuz not fogitful, an’ a man we all should -intimate. I hab befo’ briefly ’luded to him. I say briefly, kase a -pawson mite talk boutin him fum de commencement to de closin’ ub a big -camp meetin’ an’ not git fur on de subjec’. He nebber fogot. T’ink ub de -animals he had to recommember, fum elephants clean down to coons an’ -’possums. Dey tells me he eben kep’ de chickens fum eatin’ up de -watermillion seeds. He wuz uh sailor, gyardner, farmer, blacksmith, -carpenter—King Dabid wuz no wha when he wuz ’bout. His name wuz Noahy. -Uncle Reubin say de elephants, whales and hippopotamusses wuz so big an’ -bad dat he chained dem outside de boat an’ let ’em float to make room. -An’ de shirks an’ crocodiles had et up all de dogs, sepin fo’ coon dogs. -So Noahy chained dem outside, too. ’Cose Noahy wuz uh gre’t animal -tamer, an’ I kin ondastan’ how he like so many animals, but I kyant -ondastan’ why he didn’t pisen dem shirks. De Bible tells ’bout -fishhooks, fishpools, fish spears an’ fishermen, an’ all ’bout Peter’s -gwine uh fishin’, an’ de five loaves an’ two fishes (dey mus’ uh bin -whales, kase dey fed so many)—but it don’t say nuffin boutin shirks. -How-some-eber, I specks when Peter’s net broke da wuz uh shirk in it, -kase when dey cum ’long da ain’ no use you takin’ up yo’ net, kase it’s -clean gone. Uncle Reubin say ef’n it wan’ fuh de pitch on de wood ub de -ark dey would hab chawed uh hole thoo huh. Dey’s kep’ many a sister fum -comin’ in de Babtis’ chuch, when dar’s only salt watah to dip in, like -it is down heah on de Easton Sho’.” - -Aunt Phillis Viney (interrupting): “Pawson Demby, ef’n dem sistus had -salbation in deah hearts dey wouldn’t keer fuh dem shirks any mo’ dan -little Moses keered fuh de Bull-rushes.” - -Voices: “Dat’s what I say, too!” “Yas, dat’s it!” “You done sed it.” -“Dat’s de law, Sistah Viney.” - -Tilly Mink: “I’s got salbation mehsef.” - -“Uncle Eph, will you pleas’ pars de barsket ’roun’? An’ I hope dis -congation will stop dis shirk ’citement an’ not be fogitful boutin de -collection. I exhort sistus an’ all heah present to gib lib’ly, an’ not -be like dem fogitful ole Petracks. - -“We will include by singin’ de three fus’ vusses ub him seventy-fo’.” - - Zion is de place fuh me, - Oh, I want to git da; - Zaccheus clum uh sycamo’ tree, - Oh, I want to git da. - - In de heb’nly hom’ we’ll all be free, - Oh, I want to git da; - De Angel Gabriel den we’ll see, - Oh, I want to git da. - - Mary an’ Marfa’s gone befo’; - Oh, I want to git da; - Baptized an’ shoutin’ on de golden sho’; - Oh, I want to git da. - -Pawson Demby requested Uncle Stephen to “Please led us in prayer,” -whereupon Uncle Stephen prayed as follows: - -“Sistus, brers an’ little chillun, recommember! Dat’s de qualificashun, -an’ don’ fogit it. Po’ Lot’s wife, she fogot, looked back, an wuz turnt -inter uh pillow ub salt. - -“Fogitfulness is wuss’n playin’ de fiddle, dancin’, an’ uh cuss’n one -nerr. Hits almos’ ez bad ez fishin’ on de Sabbuth day. Y-a-s, Lawd, -fogitfulness is bin uh ’stressin’ people ev’y sense Adam clum de apple -tree an’ eat dem apples. Ab-so-lum fogot his Pa’s ’structions, er he -wudn’ er rid un’er dat oak tree an’ let dat lim’ twiss his neck ef’n he -hadn’ bin frolikin’, I specks, wid dat ornry King Fario. Y-a-s, Lawd, -tech us ter recommember. De prodigal son fogot he Pa’s ways, an’ you -know de consequation. Sted ub fogittin’, meck us ter recommember; y-a-s, -Lawd, meck us ter recommember dat de debbil is uh rovin’ lion, seekin’ -who he may eat up.[5] Don’ let us be like Jacob, de Petrack, who fogot -hissef an’ tried ter rassel wid uh angel, an’ de fus’ fall he got his -leg wuz flung outin jint. - -“But da is one thing dat you kin fogit; hits dem shirks [sharks] in -Miles Ribber. Some ub our sistus is got de shirk fright so bad dey is -persidderin jinin’ de Presbyters. Sweet sistus, don’ yer do hit. Ev’y -man’s mouf ain’ uh prayerbook, an’ uh case orntried is hyard ter -justify. Persidder us, deah Lawd, burhol us, be wid us, cum down right -now in de spirit ub de lam’; cum right th’oo de roof, Ole Mars will pay -fuh de shingles. Dese moners is uh waitin’ fuh you. Y-a-s, indeed, cum -down dis minit an’ _cur-tail_ de work ub de debbil.” - -By this time old Harrison, Colonel Lloyd’s faithful and credulous -servant from “Wye,” became so much excited that he jumped up and -shouted, “Yas, Lawd, cum down an _cut_ he tail clean orf,” whereupon -Uncle Stephen arose, patting his hands, and singing: - - - DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL. - - Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, - D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel, - Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, - And why not a every man? - - He deliver’d Daniel from the lion’s den, - Jonah from the belly of the whale, - And the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, - And why not every man? - - Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, - D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel, - Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, - And why not a every man? - - The wind blows East, and the wind blows West, - It blows like the judgment day, - And every poor soul that never did pray, - ’Ll be glad to pray that day. - -[Illustration: - - TENCH FRANCIS. -] - -The singing over, Parson Demby announced—“Befo’ goin’ I wan’ ter say dat -de deacons is so ’stressed ober ’mersion dey has ’cided ter hold uh -rebate in de Zion Chuch fo’ weeks fum nex’ Chusday, an’ de subjec’ -chusin will be, ‘Ef’n uh man er woman hab salbation in deah hyarts, will -dey be feared ter babtiz wha shirks is?’ Ef’n hits ’cided hits -dangersome, salbation er no salbation, I hope dis congation will git -somebody’s ice pon’, an’ ef’n dey kyant do no better, somebody’s big -hoss trough fuh de ’mersions. - -“I ’pints rebaters fuh dem dat’s not feared—Frisby Jemes, Hesekiah -Sprouts, Damon Mink. - -“Fuh dem dat’s feared, Uncle Reubin Viney, Juba Viney, Scipio Jones, -Horace Duley. I puts fo’ on de side ub dem dat’s feared, kase it’s de -weak side. - -“Judges—Pawson Phil Demby, Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes.” - - - - - DEBATE. - - -Ef’n uh man er woman hab salbation in deah hearts, will dey be feared -ter babtiz wha’ shirks [sharks] is? - -“Aunt Tillie, is de ’bate commence?” - -“No, indeed, honey, but you almos’ late fuh de feas’—dar’s resins, -ammons an’ dates lef’.” - -“Is dem dates? Bless Gord, I tho’t dey wuz dried ’simmons; well, I’ll -teck some resins an’ dates. How cum de ’bate not commence?” - -“Why, Phillis, dey got word ter ’speck three loads ub people fum -Kyarline County, an’ two loads fum Queen Anne’s an’ Kent.” - -“Now, hush!” - -“Y-a-s dey did! So dey’s waitin’; besides, dey ain’ got all de books -outin de kyart. Uncle Reubin Viney fotch uh wheelbarr load hissef, an’ -dey tell me Damon Mink is so ’thused fuh his side, dat fuh two weeks he -has bin speakin’ ter hissef. How cum you so late, Phillis? We had uh lot -ub plum-puddin’.” - -“Well, dat lars chile ub Miss Mary’s is pow’ful hyard ter put ter sleep; -when I commenc’ ter nuss de chile I had jes’ larnt dat new hym, “Git on -board little chillun’”, an’ I am sut’ny sorry Pawson Demby fotch dat hym -ter de chuch, kase dat chile mecks me sing it ober an’ ober, till I -sho’ly ’spise de chune. Mon dat, de chile wuz bo’n on de fus’ ub de -moon; lars yeah wuz leap yeah, an’ da wuz only three full moons, an’ dat -chile wuz bo’n on one ub dem moons. ’Cose Miss Mary kyant help dat. Dey -tells me cats bo’n on de full ub de moon neber mecks mousers, an’ -chickens hatched on de full ub de moon is fussin’ all de time and neber -mecks good layers. - -“I lef’ home plenty time er nuff ter git ter de feas’. De moon wuz so -bright I tuck de parf th’oo de peach archard, ’stead er gwine roun’ by -de road; you see, it cuts orf erbout uh harf mile. When I wuz ’bout harf -way th’oo de archard I saw in de parf uh hooppo-will singin’ fuh deah -life, goin’ jes’ like uh pump handle; an’ wussa yit, when I look good da -wuz two ub ’em. Dey say it’s bad luck fuh nine year ef’n you flush uh -hooppo-will, so what mus’ it be ef’n you flush two? I wudn’ hab flushed -dem two hooppo-wills fuh uh load ub watermillions—so I walked heah -erlong de ribber sho’; den I wuz almos’ skeer’d stiff, fuh I -recommember’d what I had fogot, an’ dat wuz, dat lars’ wintah Scipio -Jones wuz mus’-rattin’ an’ uh Jack-uh-ma-lantern tuck an’ led him in de -watah clean up ter his neck, jes’ erbout wha I wuz walkin’, kep him in -de ribber fuh two hours, uh laffin’ at an’ sassin’ him.” - -Aunt Tillie: “Served him right, fuh dem days he wuz al’ays trav’lin’ -’roun’ wid uh juice-hyarp in his mouf.” - -“Aunt Tillie, dey tell me Mars George’s Bob is broke his erligion an’ -tuck up his fiddle ergin. Howsome-eber, Mars Richard say de Bible tells -all erbout trumpets, shams an’ flutes, but you see dem trumpets wuz made -ub ram’s hohns; leas’wise de trumpets dat Gideon made de Pawsons play—so -Uncle Reubin say, so ubcose, dey wan’t bad like brass hohns; nobody kin -meck me bleebe dat playin’ on brass hohns wid keys an’ locks is right. I -think Pawson Demby orter keep ev’y one outin de chuch dat plays de -fiddle er hohns. John Poney’s son, Jim, is goin’ erstray; I hearn him -walkin’ ’long de road lars nite sorter twankin er tryin’ ter twank uh -cow’s hohn an’ singin’ loud ernuf futto almos’ bus’ hissef— - - I ain’ no tukkey buzzard - I ain’ no saint, - I ain’ no tukkey buzzard, - So glad I ain’t. - -“Now, wan’t dat scanlus? It’s jes’ ez bad ez fishin’ on Sunday. Dat’s -what gib Jim Brooks de brake-bone fever, fishin’ on Sunday; but de -doctor tole Kyarline, his wife, not ter be relarmed, but reposed; dat de -_bone-set_ tea he wuz ergibbin’ him would kow de wus kine ub brake-bone -fever. Doctor Dawson is sut’ny uh pow’ful doctor. Fuh instinct, meh arms -wuz all broke out. He say dey wuz too clean fum habin’ dem in soapsuds -too much, so he tole me ter grease meh arms wid goose grease befo’ I -commenc’ ter wash. Well, it made de skin sorf, kep’ de water outin de -poors, an’ it sholy cured meh arms. Aunt Betsy wuz ’tirely mustakin; she -say dat when I got het up washin’ da wuz uh checkeration ub -pusspuration, an’ dat made it. - -“I heah de bell ringin’, Aunt Tillie, so let’s go in, fuh dat mus’ mean -de speechifyin’ gwine futto commence.” - -Just as they entered Pawson Phil Demby said: “Sistus an’ brudders, de -fus’ ter pester dis subjec’ will be Brer Frisby Jemes; den Brer Rasmus -Jemes, den Brer Hesakiah Sprouts, an’ de gre’t speller an’ reader, Uncle -Reubin Viney. Da ain’ no use ub interjuicin’ ’em, kase almos’ ev’ybody -heah has kep’ company wid ’em.” - -Frisby Jemes: “I wuz ’pinted on dis side, an’ de mo’ I think erbout it -de mo’ I think hits de rong side; de fac’ is, meh mind is pow’ful -’stressed. You see, I bin rasslin’ wid bof sides ub de ’bate, an’ de -consequation is, I is bin dreamin’ ’bout ole shirks an’ young shirks fuh -two weeks, till I kyant res’; an’ I kyant see why dey tuck such uh fishy -subjec’ ter ’bate erbout. Reposin’ on erligion, I shall res’ meh remarks -on de salbation part ub dis ’bate, an’ I wan’ ter say rite heah dat -salbation an’ de funnel-shape pen is all dat will preserb you fum dem -shirks. We _mus’_ hab de pen, fuh ef’n da is anyone heah ornsartin -erbout deah faith, an’ nach’ly timid like many ub de sistus (_ub cose we -men ain’ feard_), dat pen mus’ be built an’ de rails kivvered wid tar, -ter keep dem shirks fum chawin’ de rails. Now, we kin make uh -funnel-shaped pen, an’ hab de mouf ub de funnel jes’ big ernuf fuh one -at uh time ter go in; de shirks, ub cose, kyant git in.” - -Wilson Small (interrupting): “Why kyant dey git in? Kyant dey jump same -ez you? Dey kin chaw up de pen. Dey is monstus sens’ble, an’ ef’n dey -raal hongry dey would jump in, tell dey fill dat pen an’ hab all ub dem -moners in uh cluster.” - -Damon Mink: “You kyant qualify what you say, an’ fum yo’ talk, uh pusson -mite s’pose de shirks know’d deah A. B. C.’s. Mon dat, you ain’ in dis -’bate! Wha you cum fum, anyhow?” - -“Fum Queen Anne’s County; I’m uh free pusson.” - -Damon: “Well, we don’ ’low no free niggahs ter ’bate heah!” - -“Suppose meh sistah ’longs ter Mars John Tilghman? What den?” - -“Set down; we ain’ talkin’ ’bout yo’ sistah, an’ dis subjec’ is -’stressin’ ernuf ’doutin you breakin’ de hyarts ub dese po’ sistus -talkin’ erbout _jumpin’_ shirks!” - -Hesakiah Sprouts: “Fris, you ain’ got salbation nuff in yo’ heart, dat’s -what’s de matter wid you! Ef’n you had uh bin wha Jona wuz, in de -whale’s belly fuh three days, you’d uh had spavins an’ cramps, kase you -wudn’ had any faith an’ condidence in de whale, but Jona did.” - -Frisby Jemes: “Hessa, ef’n you had bin ris’ by de qual’ty you wudn’ say -belly in de presence ub dese sistus; hits bad nuff in de presence ub -shirks. Den ergin, da ain’ no whales in dis ’bate.” - -Hessa: “Why, you don’ no nuffin erbout de Bible, Fris! Talkin’ ’bout -qual’ty; I reckon de prodigal son ’longed ter de qual’ty, didn’t he? His -father had plenty ub serbants, fuh de Bible say: ‘An’ when he cum ter -hissef he said, “How many hired serbants ub meh father’s hab bread ter -spare an’ I perish wid honger?”’ An’ now, lis’n to dis: ‘An’ he fain wud -hab filled his _belly_ wid de husks dat de swine did eat.’ Now, ef’n -Jona, de prodigal son, St. Matthew, King Solomon, Jerry Myah, Genesis, -an’ lars, but not leas’, John de Babtis, who all hab spoke on dis -subjec’, didn’ cum fum de qual’ty, wha’ did de qual’ty cum fum? I will -preserb de res’ ub meh remarks fuh de ’clusion.” - -Aunt Kyarline (in a whisper): “Hes, don’ you mine Fris; his haid bin -turnt since he bin drivin’ de coach fuh Ole Miss.” - -Uncle Reubin Viney was Sir Oracle among the negroes. He was very pious -and austere, looked like an old portrait, could read a little, and spent -his Sundays in reading and memorizing verses from the Bible. If he -talked to you five minutes he would quote something from the Bible. When -he got up all ears were listening, and all mouths were open. He said: - -“Sistus, brudders an’ chillun, I is bin readin’ an’ studdyin’ fuh three -weeks on dis ’bate, an’ Becky say she is tired ub dippin’ candles fuh me -ter read by. De young oxen I is brakin’ is de wus’ I eber han’led; so -worryin’ wid dem in de day time an’ rasslin’ wid dis ’bate at night, -mecks me truly glad dat de time is come ter arbiter. I shall try an’ -confine mehsef ter one word—watah. You will see de application pres’ny. -Sister Sue, meck dat boy teck his musrat gum of’n de pew; you kin set -yo’ musrat gum in de mash ez much ez you want, but not on dese pews, -kase dey’re sanctified. - -“We read in de fus’ book ub Gensis, ’dat a ribber went out ub Edum ter -watah de gyarden,’ an’ in Sams, ‘He maketh me ter lie down in green -pastures, he leadeth me beside de still watahs.’ De _still_ watah wuz de -drink ub Mars Adum an’ Miss Eve in deah Edum home. Da wan’ no snakes, -shirks, frogs, whales, er crockdiles in dat watah, fuh de Bible -spressify hit wuz _still_ watah. An’ mon dat, it mussa bin fresh, kase -dey drunk it, an’ it mussa bin jes’ ez clare ez uh jewdrap, fuh I heah -uh gre’t Meffodis’ preacher say: ‘It ’flected back de lubliness ub Miss -Eve when she dress hersef.’” - -Aunt Tillie: “Uncle Reubin, Miss Eve didn’ hab no clos’ ter dress wid!” - -Uncle Reubin: “Well, I didn’ say what sort she put on; mout erbin -crows-foot, spechly ef’n de fros’ had kilt de fig leaves, er it mout -erbin Firginny Creeper, er she mout uh rap hersef in clusters ub -grapevines; we all no dar wan’ no fashion in _dem days_. - -“De Bible say: ‘Ez in water de face anserreth ter face, so de hart ub -man ter man;’ so de water wuz Miss Eve’s lookin’ glass, dat’s what it -mean; an’ all dat watah wuz fresh; de consequation wuz, da wuz no shirks -in it.” - -Jim Brooks, from Queen Anne’s County: “I rid 20 miles ter heah dis -’bate, an’ I wan’ ter no what watah got ter do wid it. Ev’body seems ter -hab fogot de shirks.” - -Uncle Reubin: “I has jes’ ’cited uh vus fum Sams, an’ I will ’cite an -nerr fum Proberbs: ‘Tho’ thou shouldst bray uh fool in uh morter ’mong -wheat wid uh pessal, yet will not his foolishness depart fum him.’ Why, -Brer Brooks, ef’n it hadn’ bin fuh watah de twelve Petracks mout neber -bin bo’n. De narration say dat Mars Jacob met Miss Rachael at de well, -an’ ef’n de well had uh bin dry he mout neber hab met de mudder ub de -Petracks. - -“Now, what wud dat gyarden bin ’dout plenty watah? Dey wud uh lef’ it, -an’ got an nerr gyarden; fuh not only Mars Adum an’ Miss Eve baved in -dat Paradice watah, but de seeds an’ de vegetables sipped it, de flowers -when deah faces got dusty, washed in it, de cups ub de blossoms hilt it, -I specks, till de watah tu’n inter perfume, an’ I kin almos’ see de -jewdraps hangin’ on ev’y leaf, mo’ lubly dan uh oyster pearl. It makes -Uncle Reubin glad when he looks at watah, fuh it tu’ns our mills, gibs -us cawn bred, brings de big schooners wid our boots, shoes, clothes an’ -mullasses, an’ when de tide comes in, ’specially at sundown, when de -birds is goin’ ter deah nesses, an’ de busy bees is wanderin’ home, da -is nuffin I lubs mo’ ter look at, it’s so quiet an’ repose. No place kin -be lonely ef’n watah is da; but it’s uh sad thing, too, fuh what is mo’ -’stressin’ dan eyes full ub tears. But mos’ ub all, young people ub dis -chuch don’ fogit dat watah wash yo’ sins uh way, an’ meck you ez white -ez de lam’. But I am condident da is only one kind fit fuh ’mersion, an’ -dat’s fresh watah.” - -Sister Sue: “Dat’s it; now yo’r climin’ dem golden stairs, Brer Viney!” - -Sally Mink: “Blessid be his brow, he’s fairly chantin’ de songs ub de -Sams.” - -Mrs. Rodgers’ Ned: “I is convicted, Brer Viney, an’ I plays de fiddle no -mo’!” - -Uncle Reubin: “Now, you begin ter see de application. Jordan, wha’ John -de Babtis, wuz ’mersed, is fresh watah. Not far fum Jordan is de dead -sea, which has mo’ salt dan Miles Ribber, kase it will float uh man same -ez uh egg; but de ’Postles tuck de fresh watah, kase I hab no doubt -skirks wuz bad in dem days, an’ prob’ly wusser, ’speci’lly in de dead -sea. Jes’ think ub our dear sistus, trem’lin’, soaked wid faith an’ -salbation, speckin’ ev’y minit ter hab deah legs bit orf! Da ain’ uh -sistuh in dis chuch dat ain’ had chills dis spring. De cold watah got -nuffin ter do wid it; it’s shirk fright; dat’s what’s de matter wid ’em. -But blessin’s cum in disguise, an’ Providence mus’ hab brought dis -’bate, fuh it sot me ter readin’, thinkin’ an’ prayin’, an’ I am -confluent we will all hab ter be babtize a-_fresh_; den da will be mo’ -moners, mo’ shoutin’, an’ bless Gord, no shirk fright. I shall hab mo’ -ter say ef’n de application ain’ well ondastood.” - -Hesakiah Sprouts (in a whisper): “Pawson Demby, uh young man jes’ cum in -wants ter speak ter you. He is bashful; bin peepin’ an’ lis’nin’ at de -do’. Mebby Uncle Reubin’s speechifyin’ hab made salbation in his heart.” - -“Jes’ so! Young man, who you ’long ter? Mars John Skinner? Well, wispuh -what’s in yo’ heart; don’ be feared, kase salbation’s free!” - -“Pawson Demby, yo’ dogs is treed uh coon ’cross Peach Blossom Creek. Meh -boat is on dis side.” - -Pawson Demby: “Belubbed sistus, as Brer Viney’s gre’t an’ pow’ful speech -has fuh _ever_ ’cided dis question fuh fresh watah, it is move, secon’, -an’ carried, dat dis meetin’ ’jurn.” - - - - - ROMP’S MUSTAKE. - - - Lars Sunday night me[6] an’ Fred went ter de swamp - An’ it wan’ many minits fo’ we heahd ole Romp - Talkin’ ter hissef, an’ tree’in’ up’n uh pine - Dat wuz all obergrow’d wid uh big grapevine. - - Speak ter him Romp! Mus’ be uh ’possum, Fred, - De way dat dog is cacklin’ an’ losin’ ub he hed. - An’ feedin’ on dese fros-bit grapes an’ fat - Ef he won’ meck yo’ lip go flip-flop, teck dis hat. - - Well, it won’ be long fo’ de breck ub day; - An’ de possum, showly, he kyant git ’stray, - So den I’ll clime dat little black-gum tree; - Dat pine’s too full ub grapevines futto see. - - De day broke clare, an’ up’n de tree I clum, - An’ in dem grapevines, twixt de pine an’ gum, - A ressin ub his’self, yaller, slick an’ fat, - Da lay uh gre’t big ornry Thormas cat! - - I tuck uh match an’ lit de varmint’s tail, - An’ when he jump po’ Romp an’ Fred dey wail; - Dat yaller Thormas cat, on fire, ub cose, - Dey tuck to be uh red-hot, flamin’ ghose! - - Romp ain’ no use fuh night dog any mo’, - An’ neber ter de swamp he wants ter go; - An’ when he comes uh cross uh wile grapevine - He al’ays gits relarmed an’ ’gins ter growl an’ whine. - - Ef Romp had bin ub houn’ blood, stid ub cur, - He’d know’d de difference in de scent ub fur. - So arfter dis I wants uh thorrybred; - When dey speaks up’n uh tree you ain’ misled. - - But if I steals de finis’ thorrybred - Da ain’ no use ub praisin’ him ter Fred— - He’s jined de chuch. Dat yaller Thormas cat - He tho’t uh ghose is all de cause ub dat. - - I ’gin ter think mehsef dat cat uh witch, - Fuh in de swamp ef it is dark ez pitch, - An he cum out! de branch it looks so bright - De brabest niggah’s obercome wid fright. - - I ’spises cats, an’ fuh dem hab no use, - But it’s mos’ time I’d ended wid uh buse, - Fuh when I think erboutin’ “Romps mustake” - Dis haid ub mine cummences soon ter ache. - - - - - LITTLE BILLY’S PUMPKIN. - - -Hayland Meadow was some ten miles in length, and on the upper half, used -for growing timothy and for grazing, here and there stood -aristocratic-looking trees—poplar, black-walnut, majestic oaks, imposing -and graceful elms. The lower half was thickly wooded with smaller trees -of many varieties, among which flourished the persimmon. Nature had with -generous hands festooned many of the trees with wild grapevines, and -when these were in bloom and twilight dews fell upon their blossoms, -they filled that meadow with a delicious fragrance, sweet enough for -Eden; every dewdrop in the dell seemed perfumed. - -Through this vale, over mossy stones and snowy pebbles, chattered and -meandered a crystal creek which joined other streams and emptied at -Hayland marsh into Miles River. - -The woodcock nested there, and in warm June days dozed under the shade -of the fine old trees; and there the oriole sang a lullaby to her -hanging cradle that rocked in the wind. - -The tranquilness of the place was never disturbed save by the canticles -of song birds and the almost nightly baying of some coon dog, for until -of late the darkies never thought of going anywhere else to put up coons -or ’possums than “Haylan’” Branch, as they called it. - -Little Billy was not pious, and, if he knew his prayers, never said -them. He doted on all sorts of sports, and, though a poor shot, entered -all the turkey-shooting contests Thanksgiving Day. He chewed the best -tobacco, danced with the dancers, played the banjo and jewsharp, always -had a jug of molasses, a pair of gum boots, fiddle-strings and -fiddle—all purchased with his coon, ’possum and muskrat money. - -Scipio Jones’ experience had pretty well frightened off Miles River Neck -hunters (see “Romp’s Mustake”), but of late darkies from Queen Anne’s -and Caroline Counties had been hunting Hayland Branch, and Billy became -jealous, wanting to be the only hunter, and sought to get his Mars -Pinckney, who owned the meadow, to help him; and his success was more -than he anticipated. - -“Romp’s Mustake” had been talked about until the story had so grown that -most of the darkies thought the cat a ghost, and among the converts was -Scip’ Jones. The matter was discussed at bush meetings, corn-huskings -and cake-walks; so after the christening of Mollie Jones’ son (Scipio -Jonas Jones) at Zion Church, John Poney, Uncle Stephen Demby and Scip’ -Jones were appointed to investigate Hayland Branch. - -[Illustration: - - MARS PINCKNEY WHEN A BOY. -] - -Billy was at the christening, of course, and wanted the ghost story to -flourish, as it kept Talbot coon hunters from the branch. So he told his -Mars Pinckney that “niggahs cum fum Kyarline an’ Queen Anne’s County ter -hunt dat mash an’ branch, an’ ’skusin’ de Talbot hunters, he wouldn’ be -s’prised ef dey som’ time, when dey hongry, teck de oysters fum de -cove;” (Billy did)—“an’, young Marster, won’ you qualify me ter say dat -de branch hanted pow’ful?” - -His Mars’ Pinckney said with sternness: “Billy, that is not the truth! I -want, however, to keep rogues and intruders out, and I will make and -give you something that will scare every nigger out of my meadow from -this day forward forevermore.” - -So his Mars Pinckney, full of youth and deviltry, took a big pumpkin, -cut a hole through the top and bottom, and through the latter pushed a -tallow candle with a big wick. He cut eyeholes and a mouth, and, at -Billy’s suggestion, tacked on a medium-sized cucumber for a nose, and on -the sides or cheeks of the pumpkin, put sheepskin for whiskers, as Billy -said, “ter meck hit look sassy;” and then a grapevine was trimmed up and -tied through the top, and Billy was instructed what to do. - -Parson Phil Demby was to baptize some sisters the next day—Sunday—and -Billy thought that a good time to consummate his plans. - -It was very cold. The boys were skating, and the sisters were dipped -where the farmers had been cutting ice the day before. When Tilly Mink -was shoved under she had one of her pockets full of apples. The water -shocked her so, she immediately commenced to throw her arms around, -pawed the bottom, pawed Parson Demby overturned an’ thoroughly drenched -him (it was an honest dip) and pawed and tore the pocketful of apples; -and when Little Billy saw the apples come popping up, bobbing like -net-corks, and the Parson’s haste to get on dry land, he called out: - -“Jes’ gib huh ’nubba dip, Pawson Demby; huh sins is cummin’ up fum huh -in clustahs!” - -The negroes on the shore thought salvation at last had struck Billy, -and, the immersion over, they crowded about him. - -Billy in a moment embraced his opportunity, and after a few remarks -about the cold, wanted to know where he could buy another coon dog; -expatiated upon the coon and ’possum tracks he had recently seen in -Hayland meadows, and further said, apparently unconcerned: - -“I kyant ondastan why dey don’ hunt dat branch mo’. Ef’n I had uh nubba -dog (Jasper is foot-sore, an’ I gwine ter git one), I’d pestah dat lubly -branch when ebnin’ cum, an’ ornless hit snow er rain, I’d hunt ev’y parf -in it.” - -[Illustration: - - Jes’ gib huh an-nubba dip, Pawson Demby, huh sins is cummin’ up fum - huh in clusters! -] - -Then and there the witch committee arranged for a hunt the next night. -They asked Billy to go, but “he wuz gwine ter Kyarline County futto buy -uh dog.” - -The moon was new and went down about 11 o’clock, and Billy calculated -they would be along about that hour. So, holding the grapevine in his -hand, he climbed a _witch-elm_ tree, threw the vine over its slippery -limb, rested his pumpkin-face on the ground, and whilst he was -“meddowtatin’” he heard the voice of Scipio say to his thoroughbred -hound: “Put ’im up, Noahy!” and later, “I like de stile an’ rovin’ ub -dat dog, don’ you, Uncle Stephen?” - -Uncle Stephen said, “Monstus fine! Carry hissef jes’ like uh houn’ I -hunted over lars’ wintah in Kyarline County dat wuz stole fum de man dat -los’ him; an’ I heah him say he hope dat dog tree nuffin fuh de pusson -dat stole him ’ceppin’ ghos’es, witches an’ sperrits, an’ ef’n he ebba -ketch him, dis uth wud trimble when he twiss he neck.” - -Scip’s eyes began to feel too big—his roguery rebuked him; Noahy was the -stolen dog. But his conscience was momentarily relieved by Noahy’s -giving tongue, and was tickled and delighted when Uncle Stephen said: - -“Dat’s uh coon, an’ dat’s uh qualified coon dog; uh sweetah tongue I -ain’ heahd sence Mars’ Nickey’s Jerry-Myah died, name arfter a profit; -an’ he wuz a profit, too.” - -By this time they were all in a brisk trot, Uncle Stephen grumbling -about the pace and declaring he could not keep up. - -The witch committee were about one hundred and fifty yards from Billy, -and when he saw the dog some thirty yards off, and hunting towards him, -he quickly lit the tallow candle and slowly pulled the pumpkin face a -few feet from the ground. Noahy saw it in a moment, retreated and yelped -like a wild dog. All was consternation, and all hearts went pitapat. -Presently Uncle Stephen, who had the most courage, said: - -“’Pears ter me dat dog cum ’long wid som’ varment he ain’ ’quainted wid. -I had a composation yistiddy week wid uh coon hunter I’s knowed fuh uh -long time, an’ he say dogs dat ain’ ris on de watah al’ays gits skeered -de fus’ time dey see pompusses an’ shirks playin’ on de ribber sho’.” - -Scipio caressed the dog with trembling hands, and said: - -“I don’ ondastan’ de ’spression ub dis dog. Otters is ornpropper -varments ter projic’ wid; maybe he s’prised a sleepin’ otter, an’ de -otter smack him, an’ den babtiz him in de creek tell he mos’ drown. Dey -will do it! ’Specially on de new moon.” - -John Poney said: “De dog mus’ uh scent dat witch Scipio bu’n de tail ub, -sted killin’. Hit wuz ornrichious not ter kill dat witch, an’ de fus’ -ting we know, de witch will hab young uns, an’ den dis branch will hab -ter be gib up, kase uh branch full ub scan’lous witches is wuss’n uh -woods full ub sperrits.” - -Scipio Jones (affrighted): “Don’ talk dat way, Brer Poney.” - -By this time Billy had slowly pulled his pumpkin face some twenty feet -from the ground, and as the _witch-elm_ bow was gently moved by the -breeze, it gave the pumpkin face such a weird look that even Billy got -_lonesome_. Uncle Stephen, less timid and more observant, though behind, -was the first to see the pumpkin face. With a gasp, and dropping quickly -on his knees, he wailed: - -“Ef’n you is a ghos’, Mars’ Ghos’, I ’spec you is uh ghos’, an’ ef’n you -is uh witch, my Mistis Witch, I ’spec you is uh witch! I nebber sed -nuffin ergin ghos’es an’ witches in meh life, an’ I’s 70 year ole—an’ -nebber see an’ bleebe in witches an’ ghos’es; but I bleebe now, ’fo’ de -Lawd, I do! an’ now I ondastan’ why dis branch so full ub _witch-elm_ -an’ _witch-hazel_ trees.” - -Just then Billy gave his grapevine a gentle pull, bobbed the pumpkin, -and Uncle Stephen, more frightened than ever, exclaimed in great -humility: - -“O Lawd, ’fen’ Stephen, an’ let he salbation resis’ dat witch, an’ de -witch resis’ he salbation, an’ keep de witch fum leadin’ po’ Stephen -ter”—— - -“Is you got de kramps, Uncle Stephen?” half frantically exclaimed Scip’. -Uncle Stephen pointed his trembling hands at the witch-elm tree, and -Scipio and John saw the pumpkin face. - -A few minutes thereafter Uncle Stephen was trotting homeward -alone—tired, dejected and scared almost out of his senses, and every now -and then ejaculating, as he stumbled and trotted along: - -“Dat orn’ry niggah, Scipio Jones, done breck up coon huntin’ in dis -branch!” - -Scipio and John ran until they came to a haystack some two miles away, -in which they made a hole and hid themselves until daylight, when Scipio -took Noahy back to his owner. - -On Sunday next Parson Demby gave notice “Dat Scipio Jones had got -salbation in he hyart, an’ wud be babtiz’ Sunday cummin’.” - -There was a great difference of opinion among the committee as to the -appearance of the witch, and this was their testimony: - -Scip’ thought “Hit wuz erboutin ez big ez uh cow, an’ had hohns ez long -ez uh fencerail.” - -John Poney thought “Hit wuz ’boutin de size ub uh shock ub wheat, wid -eyes ’bout de size ub buckets, an’ uh mouf ’bout ez big ez uh shirk’s.” - -Uncle Stephen said he “Wuz sho’ de face wuz ’boutin ez big ez uh barrel, -an’ melted lead run fum he nose, an’ pusspuration ub fire drapped fum -all ober he face, an’ ebbry time de win’ blow his eyes wink an’ his mouf -larf.” - -A few days after the ghost investigation Little Billy went over to the -quarters of Uncle Stephen to hear the news, and found the old man -putting his little grandchild to sleep and singing: - - Sooky licked de ladle, - An’ de baby rocked de cradle. - Rock—— - -Billy interrupted him, saying: “Howdy, Uncle Stephen?” - -The old man was glad to see him, nervous and startled, too, for he had -not gotten over his witch fright. - -“Po’ly, Billy, ve’y po’ly; pow’ful mis’ry in meh back an’ legs.” - -Billy said, in an innocent sort of way: “I jes’ bought fum Kent County -de fines’ kin’ ub coon dog—cross ’tween uh houn’ an’ rat-tan-terrier—an’ -I drap in ter arsk ef’n you won’ teck uh hunt wid me in Haylan’ Branch -to-night. Tell me hit’s full ub coons, an’ uh hunt mout do yo’ back -good.” - -Uncle Stephen gave Billy a solemn, stern look and said: “I wan’ nuffin -ter do wid coons, ’possums er ’coon dogs. Scip’ Jones an’ John Poney dey -bof exerted me. I’s los’ meh tase fuh night hun’in’; an’ when you heah -de ’po’t ub de witch committee, you will sell yo’ dog, kase when dat -’po’t gits knowed, da won’ be no use fuh coon dogs, leas’wise ’roun’ -heah. I had uh talk wid Caesar Butler yistiddy, an’ he say: ‘He sho’ dat -Haylan’ Branch witch tuck an’ stole he ’possum fum de ashes lars’ fall, -an’ bin stealin’ he oystus all wintah.’ Now de wexin’ quession is, What -we gwine ter do? Hit wud not s’prise me ef’n I move fum de county.” - -“Uncle Stephen, what wuz de ’port ub de witch committee?” - -“Well, dey met lars’ night over Bennett Tumlinson’s wheelwright shop. -Pawson Demby wuz chusen ter teck de cheah. Den we hed uh long -composation an’ hit wuz ’cided dat ghos’es may lib in cows’ hohns, but -witches don’—leas’wise de breed dat’s in Haylan’ Branch. We also ’cide -dat ef’n all de cowhohns in Miles Ribber Neck wuz made inter one hohn, -hit wud be too small fuh de witch ub Haylan’ Branch ter ’pose in. Hit -wuz also ’cluded dat de sperrit in Haylan’ Branch wuz uh witch, kase hit -hab whiskuhs, an’ ghos’es don’ hab whiskuhs. Pawson Demby say he sho’ -hit’s de same breed ub witches dat’s spok’ ub in Samuel de Fus’, and dat -we mus’ stop coon hun’in’, hintimate Saul, an’ all go ter witch hun’in’ -an’ witch killin’. Dat de Bible ’splicitly spressify in de book ub -Ex-odus: ‘Thou shal’ not suffah uh witch ter lib.’ Pawson Demby mus’ be -mustakin’. Hit kyant be de same breed ub witches Saul kilt, an’ ef’n dey -is, dey’s grown monstus since dem days; an’ I bleebe ’sted ub de -brudders ub Zion Chuch ’stroyin’ de witches, de witches will ’stroy de -brudders. Talk ’bout babtizin’ in de presence ub shirks! I’d rudder -sleep wid shirks dan see dat witch ergin. Hits de lars’ time I’s gwine -on any committee! Mo’n dat, I’s made up meh min’ ter jine uh chuch dat -don’ ’low coon huntin’, an dat chuch is de Presbyters.” - -After the war Billy, old and dispirited, drifted to a small town in -Maryland. His independence, quaint humor (narrations and mirations) soon -attached the townspeople to him, who kept him in tobacco, clothed and -made him comfortable. Billy never tired of expatiating upon his old -home, haunts, ole Miss and ole Mars. It was his nature to exaggerate, -and he told about the fo’-in-hands he drove (he never drove) until it -got to be a joke; and they would tease him and say they had heard he -only drove mules and steers, which made him furious, and he would -brandish his cane at his accusers. - -When Mr. Cleveland was first elected President Billy was very much -disturbed. He thought all the negroes would be sold into slavery, and -his loquaciousness and solicitude suggested the following joke, which -was played upon him to the amusement of the township: - -At several places in the town, to which Billy’s attention was called, -printed notices were tacked up that on a certain day all negroes in -Maryland would be sold to the highest bidder. When Billy saw it, he -swore lustily, and on the day of sale he was made to stand on a -goodsbox, and cried to the highest bidder. It was a very funny sight. -Billy said: “Ef’n ole Mars, er Miss Henrietta wuz erlive dey’d kill -ebery lars’ one ub you.” - -The spectators walked around him, looked in his mouth feigning to tell -his age, and praised his noble appearance. Billy looked scornfully at -the laboring people, some of whom had been instructed to bid on him, and -graciously at the gentry present. A pretended buyer asked if he belonged -to the church. - -Billy said: “I don’ ’long ter no chuch, an’ I ain’ gwine ter jine, an’ -gib up meh fiddle an’ banjo.” - -Just then some one looked him over and said: “Splendid, honest face! I -will give $5,000 for him.” - -Billy said, with great pomposity: “I al’ays knewed uh quality niggah, -an’ I’s glad ter be uh slabe, ef’n uh gemman buy me. I tole de niggahs -ef’n dey wote de Dimcrat ticket dey’d all be sol’ ergin, but dey sech -ornry fools.” - -Finally a man said $5,000 was nothing for him; he would give $10,000. -Whereupon a carpenter nailing shingles on a roof within earshot of the -sale, knowing Billy’s weakness for talking about his ole master’s -horses, and thinking to draw him out and please him, asked: “Can Billy -drive a carriage?” Whereupon Billy broke up the sale by saying: “What in -de h—l you wan’ ter know fuh? You nebba own uh kerridge.” - - - - - SERMON.[7] - - -Befo’ preachin’ I gib notice dat Miss Henrietta gwine ter gib uh -cake-walk Chris’mus night ter all de serbents ’ceppin’ Scipio Jones. Dar -will also be uh feas’ in de brick kitchen arfter de walk. De ’freshments -will be uh cake ub figs, two clustahs ub resins, harf bushel ub kisses, -pancakes, an’ uh keg ub molasses. Some sistuh at de rebate ax Aunt -Phillis how she cook pancakes. She ’ques’ me ter say: “Three eggs bet up -light, wid uh pint ub milk an’ uh pint ub flower, den add uh -tablespoonful ub butter an’ lard, den cook, _de mo’ carelesser de -better_.” - -All de chillun dat got bladders hog killin’ time an’ kep’ ’em, kin bus’ -’em Chris’mus night arfter de cake-walk. - -Mollie Jones will also hab her two chillun chrissin. She qualify me -futto say de names chusin will be Scipio Jonas Jones an’ Nimrod. - -De c’lection lars’ Sunday wuz 83 cents. Aunt Phillis wuz sick wid de -rumatiz an’ wan’ heah. She ’ques’ me ter gib notice when she cum she -will gib uh levy—dat will make 95½ cents. - -De deacons has ’cided ter buy wid it, de new strain ub watermillion -seeds, call de Annarandal Sweets. - -Dey will be put in little packs, an’ straws will be drawed fuh de packs. - -Da will be uh fes-ti-val in de meetin’ house nex’ monf. De money made -will be tuck ter buy uh kyarpet to go ’roun’ de pulpit. Some ub de -brudders fum Kyarline has promis’ twelve gourds, uh new kine wid curled -handles, one bushel ub sweet potatar slips, eight ’possums, an’ fo’ new -mus’rat gums. - -I am charm ter say de deacons has secur’d fum Mr. Plummer fuh 25 cents -uh monf de priblig ub babtizin’ in de Wye Mills dam, ’ceppin in de -winter, _jes’ befo’ dey cut ice_. - -You will find meh tex’ in de 63 Sam, 6 Vus, writ by King Dabid when he -wuz in de wilderness ub Juda an’ hidin’ hissef in de mountain ub Zip. - -“When I recommember de ’pon meh bed, an’ meddowtate on de in de night -watches.” - -Sistus, brudders an’ little chillun, we might fill dis chuch full ub -some ub Mars Nickey’s craps, cawn, oats, wheat, hay, fodder, an’ -buckwheat, an’ fill de corners wid spider’s webs, wasp nesses, mouse -beds an’ sich like, hab de chuch jam full, an’ ubcose when it full it -kyant be any fuller, den dey wud hab ter go ter de bawn; but dat what -dey call mem’ry require no bawn. It can be packed jes’ like dis chuch, -ev’y crack filled, ev’y little hole chinked, an’ yit da wud be plenty ub -room. - -Ef’n yo’ mem’ry wuz chock full ub all de chunes in de Zion hymbook, an’ -uh camp meetin’ cum wid 500 new hyms, dat mem’ry wud right straight meck -uh place fuh dem chunes an’ teck ’em in widout crowdin’ anything. - -Ef’n de Angel Gabrul wuz ter meet you, an’ gib you ’struction fuh uh -week, an’ say: “I miricle you ter recommember all dis Scriptur’,” dat -strange thing called mem’ry wud in uh moment make room, de mos’ triflin’ -thing wud not be ’sturbed. Oh! it’s uh pow’ful thing, mem’ry. “When I -recommember de ’pon meh bed”—dat’s de application. What wud we do -widoutin mem’ry? - -[Illustration: - - MARS PINCKNEY’S HOME. “FAUSLEY.” -] - -S’pose, fuh instinct, de tremlin’ stars _fogot_ ter cum out ter keep -deah faithful watch; s’pose de moon fogot de stars an’ lay uh sleep fuh -six months. But wussa still, s’pose de sun fogot de sunrise, sunset an’ -twilight, an’ as de Bible say, “Darknes’ brooded ober de deep.” Mars -Pinckney say, “No wegetables an’ plants wud grow, ’ceppin pisin ones; de -trees wud all die, da wud be no birds singin’ ’ceppin de martingales an’ -hooppo-wills, no bees hummin’, no flowers bloomin’, no playful colts an’ -skippin’ lam’s—it wud be like de lars’ day fuh sinnahs.” But I heah -somebody cummin’ long talkin’ ter hissef. It’s mem’ry, an’ he meck de -stars say: “I recommember an’ lub de young moon, de harf moon an’ de -harves’ moon.” Den de man in de moon say, “’Cose you do; kase I am de -crown an’ you de stars in it.” Den de moon say, “I recommember de -ribbers, coves, creeks, all de beases ub de field, all de fishes dat -keep quiet in de day but leap an’ play in meh meller light, an’ I rides -th’oo de clowds mo’ prowder dan King Solomon did wid his prancin’ race -hosses an’ chariots in Egyp’ lan’ co’tin’ Phareo’s daughter; kase I is -so gran’ I am bleege ter be noble, fuh I hab millions ub trees, ribbers, -creeks, ribbulets, fruits an’ flowers—all de beases ub de field ter -burhol, but dey hab only one moon ter make mirations erboutin, so I am -de gran’ oberseer ub de night.” - -Den heah cum de sun creepin’ up, sorter playin’ hide an’ seek wid de -mawnin’, an’ say ter de dawn, “Recommember me! Recommember me!” Den de -dawn put his arms roun’ de yearth an’ you heah de sweet jewdraps say ter -de flowers, trees an’ watermillion blossoms, “Good bye;” an’ right ’way -de birds sip de jewdraps jes’ befo’ dey melt, ter wet deah th’oats fuh -de lars’ mawnin’. Hallaluja, dey’r gwine ter sing. - -Bimeby de sunbeams cummenc’ ter play an’ say, “I recommember uh dark -place; I will drap in an’ meck it bright,” an’ de sweet potater wines, -cucumber wines, all de wegetables, fruits, flowers, craps an’ grasses is -kiss’ an’ caress’ by dem sunbeams. - -Ah, sistus an’ chillun, I cud preach uh monf boutin dat sun, but I mus’ -pars on an’ say befo’ I include recommembrance, dat we kin all be -sunbeams; we kin hab uh brighter light in our bresses dan de sunlight, -ef’n we recommember what babtism will do, feas’ our hyarts on de ripe -fruit ub salbation, hab on our feet de golden slippas ub faith, an’ -shoostrings ub justifycation. Den de sunlight ub de c’lestial home will -flud our souls ez we sing an’ pray ter be at de lars’ day ’mong de -cherupins an’ serupins dat dances—no, not dances—dat shouts by de light -ub de sun, moon an’ stars, on de c’lestial sho’. - -We will now teck de nex’ application ub meh tex’, “Meddowtate on dee in -de night watches.” - -Brudderin, all nature is uh meddowtationist; dat is, all satisfied -nature. - -Did you eber think erboutin it? - -Now, teck fus’ uh cow, when she gits plenty ub grass, lays down an’ -chaws huh cud, blinks, winks huh eyes an’ meddowtates, an’ ef’n she is -not uh stripper, I specks she thinks how nice it will be when somebody -milks huh gre’t big bag, so full ub milk dat it will ’stress huh befo’ -long ef’n it’s not stripped. - -Uh settin’ hen is uh gre’t muser (I wan’ ter ’splain dat what dey call -meddowtatin’ in de Bible days, dey call musin’ in dese days, an’ what -dey call damsels in Bible days, we call ladies in dese days). Yes! uh -settin’ hen is uh gre’t meddowtater, prob’ly one ub de gre’tes’. Dey -sets twenty-one days, an’ dey say ter git uh good hatchin’ dey should be -sot on twenty-one eggs, so as ter ’low huh one egg uh day ter muse on. -’Cose she thinks erboutin what de diffunt color ub de chicks will be, -how many will be roostus, how many hens, how many will be black legs, -specklelegs, yaller legs, an’ how many good layers. Den she gib uh -little cackle, which is larfin’ ’mong fowls, an’ say ter huhsef: “Heah -cum ole Miss Osman, de hous’keeper, de keys jinglin’ same ez bells fum -huh ap’on strings, lookin’ ergin fuh dat speckle hen, settin’ an’ musin’ -un’er de steps right at de do’.” - -But, brudderin, de gre’tes’ meddowtaters is de ’cendents ub Mars Adam -an’ Miss Ebe, an’ ’mong de ladies in de Bible, I s’pose Miss Rachel, de -mudder ub some ub de Petracks, wuz de slyis’ meddowtater, an’ de mos’ -’spected, kase Uncle Reubin say she hab de finis’ toom, de biggist -chariot, an’ mos’ moners ub any ooman de Bible speak ub. When Jacob fus’ -met huh at de well she wuz musin’; dat is, huh ’flections wuz deep like -de well. She look so peart, sweet, an’ sad-like, de narration say, dat -Jacob wep’. How-some-eber, Jacob wuz uh unsuspectin’ shepherd, an’ wuz -smut ’mejately by Miss Rachel’s cunnin’ lubliness. Mo’n dat, Miss Rachel -had bin ris’ by de qual’ty, an’ knew’d how ter look sorf-eyed an’ sly, -jes’ like Miss Henrietta use ter look when she feel sassy; ’sides, Miss -Rachel cum outin’ uh musin’ fambly. Her pa, Mars Laban, meddowtate (so -de Bible say) seven year befo’ he gib Miss Rachel ter Jacob, an’ he made -uh mustake den, kase Jacob soon tu’n ornry, an’ hab fo’ wives. - -One ub de gre’tes’ meddowtaters mention ’mong de men in de Bible, is -spoke ub in de fus’ book ub clover. - -Rasmus Jasper Jemes: Pawson Demby, da ain’ no book ub clover in de -Bible. - -Did I say clover, Rasmus? Well, den, I meant de fus’ book ub Timothy. -I’s bin mowin’ grass all de week, an’ I got ’fuse erbout de name. - -But I mus’ hurry on to de gre’tes’ meddowtater in de Bible, de one dat -writ de ’squisit’ tex’ I preach fum, King Dabid! I ain’ bin able ter -fin’ it in de Bible, but I think he mus’ uh bin close kin ter Noahy, -kase he had mos’ ez much charm ober beases, an’ he had uh _arm ub -steal_. Jes’ think ub dat! It wuz his lef’ arm. De Bible don’ say what -his right arm made ub, but I ’specks it wuz made ub steal er brass, kase -he kotch de lion by de beard wid his lef’ han’, smut an’ kilt him wid -his right han’. Now, Sampson kilt uh lion, but it wuz uh young one. -Little Dabid mus’ uh bin thinkin’ ’bout dem lions when he writ, “Meh -hyart wuz _hot_ widin me; when I wuz musin’ de fire burned.” Well, it -cum ter pars dat de Lawd say unter Samuel de fus’, “I wan’ uh king;” an’ -Samuel de fus’ say, “I no uh man named Obid, dat’s got some monstus fine -sons, but Obid he ain’ no ’count kase he fogot his son name Jesse; but -it turn out all fuh de bes’, kase Jesse got ’fended, run ’way, an’ -merried what dey call in dem days uh damsel, an’ ris uh fine lot ub -sons.” - -While Samuel wuz musin’ erbout deah quare names, who should cum ’long -but Jesse, deah pa. So Samuel say, “Wha you gwine?” An’ Jesse say, “Ter -help Saul ter ’noint meh youngis’ son.” An’ Saul meck uh ’miration -erbout his oldes’ boys, an’ say, “How many chillun you got, anyway?” An’ -Jesse say, “Six sons, an’ de youngis’ uh sweet boy name Dabid, fair ub -eyes, lubly coun’nance, an’ uh monstus cunnin’ hyarp player. I s’pose -he’s meh favorite son, kase he so bad; dat’s why I wan’ you ter ’noint -him.” An’ Saul say, “Wha is he? I will ’noint him an’ meck him uh king.” -Jesse wuz so s’prise he almos’ had uh spavin, an’ say, “Dat chile nuffin -but uh boy, an’ you kyant think how bad he is. Mo’n dat, I kyant well -spare him; he mines de sheep, sells de hides ub de beases; an’ ’tain’ -nuffin fuh him ter kill uh ox kyart load uh week, ub lions, bars and -striped tigers.” - -Belubbed, Jesse didn’ wan’ ter say anything ergin his son, but de fac’ -is, dat boy spent mos’ ub his time playin’ de hyarp wid uh cunnin’ arm -an’ han’ ub steal, an’ wussa yit, young ez he wuz, meddowtatin’ an’ -longin’ fuh Phareo’s daughter an’ other damsels. - -Jesse bu’nt insects erroun’ hissef, an’ ’pon ’flection ’cided ter let he -son be uh king, an’ git salbation. - -Befo’ I go any fudder wid dis King Dabid narration I wan’ ter say ter de -chillun in de chuch, you don’ hab ter be so strong ter de looks ter be -gran’. De feebles’ an’ de baddes’ chile in dis chuch may meck de -strongis’ man an’ de bes’ Babtis’ preacher. - -King Dabid wuz tuck fuh uh king, tho’ he wuz de younges’ an’ de feebles’ -ub dem boys, wid uh lubly face an’ long curls, jes’ de way Miss -Henrietta’s use’ ter grow—but heah is de application: - -De Lawd look in de hyart ub little Dabid; he saw brabery, an’ de future -writer ub Sams; so he right way gib him uh arm ub steal an’ meck him -king! - -Will he meck you uh king? - -Yas; de Lawd will gib you uh erligious arm ub steal, meck ebery chile in -dis chuch uh king in his army ub salbation, an’ mebbe uh Sams writer, -ef’n you intimate little Dabid. - -Well, arfter dis’ gression, I cum ter de time when Dabid grow up, hab uh -beard, git mad wid Saul an’ de Flistines, an’ meck his barbers cut orf -one side ub de Flistines’ whiskus ter tell dem in battle fum his -soldiers; so when Goliar heah tell ub it he larf, stroke he beard, an’ -say: “He nuffin’ but uh sassy boy.” - -How, it cum ter pars when King Dabid fine out how Goliar talk erbout -him, he den an’ da meddowtate in de night watches how he kill Goliar, -an’ s’prisin’ ter say, he ’cluded ter kill him wid uh stone. So he jump -fum his chariot, tuck fum uh brook five stones, put ’em in his sheppard -bag, an’ in his han’ ub steal he had uh sling. When Goliar saw him, de -Bible say, “He disdain him kase he wuz but uh striplin’” an’ he tole him -ef’n he totch him “he wud gib his flesh ter de fowls ub de air (cose dey -mus’ uh bin buzzards), an’ ter de beases ub de field.” - -Goliar look so much biggah dan de cunnin’ little hyarp player, ’magin’ -dat he stop futto meddowtate, an’ ter git his steal arm wuckin’. He put -his han’ in his sheep bag, tuck out uh stone, an’ when Goliar wuz -erboutin fo’ hunard yards orf he sling dat stone, not ’speckin’ ter hit -him de fus’ sling; but bless yo’ souls, dat stone tuck de hole top uh he -haid orf—ez de Injuns say, “scalped him.” Den Dabid run, stood on -Goliar, cut de res’ ub he haid orf, hurray an’ shout, when his -sharpshooters cum up an’ run de army ub Goliar to deah tents. - -De nex’ day de man dat King Dabid wuz feared ub, wuz feared ub King -Dabid, fuh it almos’ tuck Dabid’s bref when Saul cum wid uh white flag -an’ say: - -“I is tuck Goliar’s place; you had better s’render; ef’n you will I will -gib you meh daughter.” - -David meddowtate, shuck Saul’s han’, tuck his daughter, had huh sant ter -his tent, an’ as de Bible say, “Behabe hissef wisely.” When King Dabid -look good at Saul an’ think how small he wuz ter Goliar, he felt peart, -spunky, an’ say, “Ef’n you cud see de mules, jackasses, chariots, an’ -jablins dat I hab got you wudn’ talk dat way” (er words signifyin’ dat). - -Brudderin, Saul’s temper ris, he throw’d one ub dem jablins at him, -which Dabid dodge, run home ter his damsel, tole huh erboutin his -father-in-law. Now, what did dat ’stress damsel say? She say, “You ain’ -heahd de wus yit. Pappy sant me word dat when you teck yo’ robe orf, go -ter baid, an’ fall uh sleep, futto let him no; dat den he will cum an’ -’sasinate you. Dat’s what I merried you fuh, but you got sech winnin’ -ways, you sech uh lion killer, hab sech strong ahms, look so lubly when -you play de hyarp, dat you hab conjur me, an’ I lub you jam down ter de -roots ub meh soul. Dey shan’t ’sasinate you; so jine yo’ army, I will -put uh scarecrow in de baid, an’ while he rejoice an’ stab de baid you -kin be marchin’ on his army.” - -[8]Bimeby Saul cum ’long, stole in de room, stab dat scarecrow all ter -smash; but jes’ den he heah de artil’ry ub Dabid. So he run ter his -army, an’ walk ober uh hunard acre field full ub kilt Flistines, an’ saw -de res’ ub his army flyin’, leabin’ all deah camels an’ jackasses. - -Saul had de biggist army, kase dat night ’cruits cum fum Zip, an’ de -nex’ day dey met ergin, fit and skirmish, skirmish an’ fit, till bof -armies got ve’y tired. - -Saul, he ’gin ter meddowtate, an’ think King Dabid uh witch, kase he -sho’ he kilt him in baid, so he got pow’ful skerd, ’fraid ub King -Dabid—too skerd futto wait till de night watches ter meddowtate; so he -meddowtate all day, an’ dat night he made spittoon bridges, tuck his -army ’cross de ribber, so he cud ’cruit fuh jackasses an’ camels, ez da -wan’ none lef’ ’ceppin’ sixteen white asses dat pull his chariot, so he -cummenc’ ter mortify de place, sant his staff futto look fuh uh drobe ub -asses, an’ his sutler say, “We kyant fine dem asses.” - -Saul say, “I kin fine dat drobe; so he meck bleebe he look fuh de asses, -but all de time he wuz ’rangin’ ter ezert.” (Meh eyes is so bad I kyant -wear meh specks, so I got Uncle Reubin ter read dis gran’ narration ter -me lars’ week; so I is preachin’ ezactly de way de Bible say.) Well, -Saul say ter Jonah, his spittoon oberseer, “King Dabid is so cute an’ -cunnin’ I’s feared he may hab one ub dem torpeders un’er dis mountain -futto blow us up; dafo’ I am gwine ter ezert, an’ wan’ you ter go wid me -’cross de ribber in one ub dese spittoon bridges ter see King Dabid.” - -Jonah say he lub King Dabid, hab de gret’s speck fuh him, wuz anxious -ter be an’ exerter, but he had once bin in de whale’s belly three days -and three nights; so he had ernuff ub de sea. Den he wep’ on de bres’ ub -his Pappy Amelikite, who wuz skerd stiff, an’ wuz weepin’ on de bres’ ub -Jonah, who fudder say, dat he rudder risk his life in battle, er be kilt -by de jawbone ub an ass, dan sink on one ub dem spittoon bridges an’ be -et up by shirks.” - -Amelikite had condidence in de spittoon bridges, ezerted wid Saul, an’ -wid two fence rails dey paddled de boat ober ter de camp ub King Dabid. - -Sister Becky: “Pawson Demby, wha’ dey git fence rails fum dem days?” - -Sister Becky, mos’ any pusson but me wud teck a _fence_ at dat question. - -Ev’ybody nose dat de rods ub ches’nut, hazel, poplar an’ pine Jacob, de -son-in-law ub Mars Laban, had piled up, wuz fence rails. In dese days -dey call ’em fence rails; in dem days, rods. Ez big uh farmer ez Jacob -wuz, wid all de thousands ub mules, jack-asses, speckled cattle, goats, -sheep an’ cows he had, how he gwine ter raise de cawn, oats, wheat an’ -barley he did ’doutin fences? Why, his beases wud hab ’stroyed his craps -in one day. - -It cum ter pars Amelikite wen’ wid Saul, an’ Saul say, “Tell it not in -Gath” (I s’pose dat wuz uh army ’spression er watchword); so dey bail -out de boat, paddle ’cross de ribber, an’ landed near uh tent. Da sot -King Dabid on uh sycamo’ stump (sycamo’ trees wuz de fa-vo-rites in dem -days; dat’s de tree dat little Zackius clum), musin’ an’ I s’pose -longin’ fuh de wife ub Urihy, an’ meddowtatin’ er dotin’ on Miss -Abigail, de wife ub Nabal, who wuz smut wid him, cudn’ resis’ his -beauty, an’ cum ter him wid five damsels ez bridemaids, all uh straddle -ub asses. I kyant gib deah names kase Samuel de fus fogot ter mention -’em. - -Saul open de composation, an’ speak fus by sayin’: “King Dabid, dis man -kep’ comp’ny wid me crossin’ de ribber; his name Amelikite. We is bof’n -us ezerters an’ tired ub wah.” Den King Dabid say, “Set down; I speck -you horngry, too? Hab some kid an’ hardtack, an’ tell me de news.” - -Saul told him de Flistines wuz mortifyin’ de mountain, an’ ev’y man wud -die befo’ dey waccinate de place. - -King Dabid ris up, shuck his curls, an’ say, “Ef’n it ain’ waccinated -mejately I’ll cross de ribber wid uh thousan’ chariots, fifty thousan’ -artil’ry, twenty thousan’ cavelry on mules, all my damsels on white -jackasses, all blowin’ rams’ hohn’s, an’ de Flistin’s I don’ ’stroy I’ll -teck pris’ners, throw in de ribber to de shirks dat’s bin feedin’ heah -fuh two weeks on some ub meh dead mules.” - -Jes’ den one ub his spies cum in an’ say, “King Dabid, dat young mule -yo’ son Ab-so-lum bin ridin’ hung him in uh oak tree!” - -Den King Dabid snort smoke fum his nose, weep an’ wep’, an’ wep’ an’ -weep; jes’ ez he begin ter git pearter his fus’ wife heah Saul’s voice, -so she stold ’way fum de res’ ub de wives, stood by de sycamo’ stump an’ -say ter King Dabid: - -[9]“I look thoo uh winder lars week, saw you leapin’ an’ dancin’ befo’ -de Lawd wid all yo’ might, an’ I ’spise you in my hyart!” - -Den King Dabid cry, grit he teeth, meddowtate, an’ made up he mind ter -stop dancin’, sin no mo’ an’ jine de Babtis’ chuch; so he throw erway -his swo’d an’ say, gimmy de pen, cummenc’ ter wright sweet Sams, an’ he -eyes shine same ez two stars, he lubly face glo’ wid de beauty ub -holiness, he call fuh he hyarp ub uh thousan’ strings, twank it—an’ -lemmy read you what he sing: - -“De Lawd is meh shepherd; I shall not want. He meck me ter lie down in -green pastures; he leadeth me ’side de still waters. He resto’eth meh -soul; he leadeth me in parfs ub richtousnes fuh his name sake (mus’ ask -Uncle Reubin who he name fuh). Yea, tho’ I wa’k thoo de valley ub de -shadder ub death, I will feah no evil, fuh thou art wid me; thy rod an’ -thy staff dey comfort me.” - -Den he chuned his hyarp ergin; he wep’ an’ he weep, an’ he weep an he -wep’. Den he meddowtate an’ bimeby he say: “O, my son Ab-so-lum, my son, -my son, Ab-so-lum!” - -Uncle Reubin Viney: “Befo’ we teck up de c’lection I wan’ ter say, da -will be uh gre’t rebate Thanksgibbin night in Zion Baptis’ Chuch; -subjec’, secon’ chapta Zacharyhy, 6 vus. - -“‘Ho, ho, cum forth an’ flee fum de lan’ ub de north, saith de Lawd; fuh -I hab spred you uh broad ez de fo’ winds ub heabin saith de Lawd.’ - -“De rebate will be ter ’cide ef’n Ho, ho wan’ uh Chine er Japne, who wuz -he?” - - - - - HO, HO. - - -There had been a great deal of discussion among the darkies as to who -was “The gret’s rebater, Mars’ Pinckney’s Damon Danridge, er Mars’ -Nickey’s Rasmus Jasper Jemes,” and a committee was appointed to select a -subject, with the advice and consent of the negro preachers of Queen -Anne, Caroline and Talbot counties. They were about three weeks -deliberating, and finally a part of the following verse from Zachariah -was selected: - -“Ho, Ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the North, saith the -Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of heaven, saith -the Lord.” (Chapter II, verse 6.) - -Deacon Damon Danridge for the affirmative. - -Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes for the negative. - -Damon Danridge was the body servant of the Rev. Wm. Pinckney, once -Bishop of Maryland, and was a splendid servant, neat, orderly, and as a -rule very dignified—“Kase he driv uh preacher.” He heard most of his -marster’s sermons, was a good listener, and was so devout and worthy -that his brilliant and learned marster became much attached to him, read -to him, and taught him to read. - -His learning made him very top-lofty, and he assumed an air of great -wisdom with all, was credulous and simple-hearted; the darkies thought -him wondrous wise because they could not understand the big words he -used. He conjured up and cherished the preaching and sayings of his -grand marster, and delighted in repeating the same. If his marster had -said to him, “Do you see yonder cloud, that’s almost in shape of a -camel,” he would have seen it as did Polonius. - -Rasmus Jasper Jemes had a great local reputation as a debater; he was a -deacon, and when the regular preacher did not turn up Ras filled the -“pull-pit,” and filled it well; two of his sermons—“His Bref Kinleth -Coals” and “Let Us Meck Brick”—were considered marvelous by the darkies. -Indeed, some of them thought him inspired (Ras thought he was)—for -instance, in 1833, when the stars fell, all the negroes on the -plantation were terrified; they hid under beds, in barnlofts, hay and -straw stacks; they thought judgment day had come. Finally Aunt Phillis, -John Poney and Little Billy, more courageous than the rest, went to see -Rasmus. He was frying some bacon and did not know about the falling -stars. He walked boldly and confidently out of his quarter, but when he -saw the shower of stars, was soon affrighted, and dodging about, said, -“Look out, Mars Lawd, hits Rasmus Jasper Jemes.” - -Ras could read a little, was far from being dull and doted on debating. -The subject, “Ho, Ho,” had been discussed far and near, and Rasmus had -“rassled” with it diligently; and now that the time had come, Zion -Church was packed and jammed. Uncle Reubin Viney, good and just, Sir -Oracle among his “Brers,” was judge. - -The servants had all chipped in and gotten Captain Stitchberry, of the -grain schooner Margaret Jane, to buy the best $15 church-clock in -Baltimore. It was bought just after Parson Demby preached his great -sermon on “Fogitfulness.” Three-fourths of them could not tell the time. - -On the door-face of the clock was a picture and written under it, “The -Finding of Moses.” It represented eleven females and a camel. Four of -the figures were very black. One of them, sitting in the bullrushes and -water, held in her lap a large basket with a top, in which was Moses, -and the daughter of Pharoah was looking wistfully at the prophet, who -was crying lustily, judging from the size of the tears in the picture. -The black figures had in their ears immense gold-colored earrings, -almost big enough for Moses to crawl through. - -[Illustration: - - The picture on the face of the Moses clock. -] - -Captain Stitchberry had selected wisely, for no rosary could have been -more adored than that clock. The sun, moon and stars went by it. When it -struck you would suppose a small dinner-gong dwelt within. - -Uncle Reubin Viney was seated on the platform when in strode Damon and -Rasmus, looking as proud as peacocks and confident as two victorious -gladiators. - -They were both well-figured and had fine faces. Rasmus had on a blue -swallowtail coat with brass buttons, which he had borrowed from Ned -Young and which was given the latter by his marster _twenty years -before_. It was still new-looking, and rarely ever worn except on -Sundays. - -Damon wore a coat given him by his marster. It was too big and too long; -however, it gave him a priestly look—was once worn by his “Mars’ -Pinckney,” and of course, fit him. Shortly after they were seated, had -sipped some water and cleared their throats loud enough for the deaf to -hear, the Moses clock struck eight, whereupon Uncle Reubin arose and -said: “Sistus an’ brudders, I hab bin ’pinted futto judge an’ ’cide dis -rebate, which am, ‘Ef’n Ho, Ho wan’ uh Chine er Japne, who wuz he?’ - -“De jan’tor will please light de big lard-oil lamp, an’ ev’y nuss, dairy -maid, maid, cook, laundress an’ farmhand, young an’ ole, is ’quested not -ter gib any ’spression ter deah feelin’s ez dis house is sanctifide. I -now hab de honah ter interjuice Brer Deacon Damon Danridge.” - -Damon sipped water complacently, pulled up his coatsleeves that were too -long, and said: “Sistus an’ brudders, I heahd meh Mars’ Pinckney ub de -Piscopalium Chuch an’ de gret’s preacher on uth, say, ‘De gret’s books -ebber writ wuz de Bible an’ uh book called Shakespeare,’ which say, -‘Dar’s mo’ things in heaben an’ yearth, _Horace_, dan wuz ebber dremp ub -in our phlos’phy’ (phlos’phy means rash-nal), an’ I’s gwine ter cummenc’ -meh speech wid de miration he woun’ up wid—leas’wise it will sorter -clustah ’roun’ meh arg’ment. - -“Lars wintah arfter meh Mars’ Pinckney got fros’-bit crossin’ Miles -Ribber ferry, an’ wuz kep’ in bed, ev’y day he used ter read an’ ’splain -de Bible ter me, an’ arfter he drap uh sleep, ter keep meh mind fum -bein’ too sot on erligeon I used ter go down to Haylan’ Branch an’ set -snares. One mawnin’ Little Billy went to de snares wid me, so in one ub -’em wuz uh dog fox, kotch by he tail.” - -Deacon Jemes (interrupting): “What Little Billy an’ fox tails got ter do -wid dis rebate?” - -Damon Danridge: “Uncle Reubin, dis is de rash-nal part ub my discose.” - -Uncle Reubin: “Is you layin’ de foundation, Damon?” - -Damon: “Ezactly so; precisely!” - -“Well, Little Billy he say, ‘Strange ter me Noahy didn’ pizin dem shirks -in de yark, an’ strange, gre’t ez he wuz, he didn’ hab mo’ ’fluence wid -de Petracks.’ - -“‘Erboutin’ what?’ sez I. - -“‘Well,’ sez Little Billy, ‘why did dey meck de animals’ tails so -curisome? Why did dey gib uh fox long hyah so uh fly kyant bite he skin, -an’ uh long bushy tail dat ain’ no use ter him?’ - -“Kase when de fields is frosty, de houn’s feel good, an’ his tail git -wet—jes’ full ub fros’ an’ dew—den dar’s sho’ ter be uh kilt fox, an’ -den Mars Nickey will say, _not pursidderin’ de wet tail_, ‘Da ain’ no -red fox on uth kin git erway fum meh houn’s.’ - -“Brudderin, dis is uh gre’t subjec’. Now, teck uh pig fuh instinct, dat -we lubs ter eat; dat ain’ ornry like uh fox, yet he’s made fuh de flys -ter pester! His leetle curly tail is not much bigger dan uh goose quill, -an’ not mo’n harf ez long; uh tail he kyant switch when de blue-tail fly -dribes him in de ribber. - -“‘Well,’ sez I, ’s’posen de fox hab de pigtail; it would breck up fox -huntin’; dey nebber cud ketch him den! Mo’n dat, de Bible say Sampson -went out an’ kotch 300 foxes an’ tern ’em tail ter tail, an’ lit deah -tails wid uh torch, den sot ’em loose an’ dey run ’mong de cawn an’ -craps ub de Flistines an’ buhn ’em up. Now, s’spose Sampson, sted ub -takin’ 300 foxtails, tuck 300 pigtails—sot dem uh fire. Da wud uh bin uh -pow’ful lot ub squeelin’, dat’s all!’ - -“An’ Little Billy say, ‘Jes’ so; jes’ so!’ - -“Uh terrapin’s tail ain’ longer dan yo’ eyelash, an’ uh mus’rat’s tail -almos’ ez long ez _Rasmus’ foot_; you skins mus’rats, hangs ’em up by de -tail, an’ sells de skins, but you don’ sell terrapin skins, an’ don’ -hang ’em up—consequencely dat’s de application. - -“S’pose de peacock hab de elephant’s tail, an’ de elephant de peacock -tail, _now how wud dat look_? Er uh cow had uh roostuh’s tail, an’ uh -roostuh uh cow tail? Da is some free niggahs fum Henracka County, -Furginny, haulin’ deah sain in Miles Ribber, an’ fum what I kin heah, -dey wud soon breck up de breed ub chickins, ornless de chickins all -hens. Jes’ tread on de roostuh’s tail, dat’s all. - -“Sistus an’ brudders, I no I got yo’ condidence—I cud _swap tails_ all -night, an’ you wud see all de time de wissum ub de c’rator ergin -swappin’. ‘Da is mo’ things in heaben an’ yearth, Horace, dan is dremp -ub in our phlos’phy.’ - -“Now, dis is de rash-nal part ub meh discose, ter show dat you kyant -change things ’doutin’ makin’ mustakes. You kyant meck Ho Ho uh Chine -any mo’ dan you kin change de animals’ tails. - -“Dese days people don’ meddowtate ernuff. Ef’n people wud meddowtate an’ -read de Bible like I is fuh two weeks on dis subjec’, dey wud hab no -doubt ’boutin de thurrybred Japne ped’gree ub Ho Ho. Hit’s plain ez -daybreck, an’ I spressify ergin, you kyant change it any mo’ dan you kin -change de animals’ tails. - -“Now, dis brings us ter de pus-nal part ub meh discose, an’ ef’n you -projic wid dat fambly you kyant git erway fum de fac’ dat Noahy wuz uh -man ub quare tase, an’ prob’ly had uh harf dozen wibes, which wuz de -fashion in dem days. - -“Noahy mus’ uh bin uh man ve’y fon’ ub de differn’ shades ub color; fuh -instinct, Ham’s Ma mus’ uh bin uh cullud pusson, _Sham’s_ uh white -pusson an’ _Jap_heth’s uh Japne. - -“I am confluent dat Ho Ho wuz uh Japne, wid uh strain ub Chine blood, -an’ my phlos’phy will show it. - -“De Bible tells us plain ez plain kin be, dat Noahy had three -sons—_Sham_, Ham an’ _Jap_heth. Sham, ez befo’ mentioned, wuz uh white -pusson; Ham wuz uh cullud pusson, an’ _Jap_heth mus’ uh bin uh Japne. I -bleebe ef’n Noahy cud speak, he wud say so, an’ ef’n you will follow de -application, hit will be ez clare ez de jewdraps on de vines, er de -fros’ on de fodder. - -“I ain’ bin ridin’ wid Mars Pinckney fuh nuffin.” - -By this time the audience was fast getting “Japne,” and Rasmus anxious. -So he said: “Damon, Mars Pinckney bin heppin’ you wid dis rebate!” - -“Well, s’pose he is; don’ I ’long ter him an’ he ’long ter me?” - -“Well, hit don’ pester me, fuh Mars _Arthur_ holp _me_. He ain’ no -preacher, but I reckon he kin read an’ wright ter keep pace wid de bes’ -ub preachers.” - -“Meshac wuz de son ub _Jap_heth. He wuz uh cunjerrer an’ cud walk on -fire, an’ ub cose he got hit fum he Japne Pa. - -“In de fus’ book ub Cronicles, fus’ vus, by ’westigation, you will fine -dat _Jap_heth wuz de gre’t-gre’t-gre’t uncle ter Joktan, an’ he had uh -son name Jobab (you see how dey keep up de fambly names), an’ Joktan wuz -kin ter Mibsam (dat’s wha de Chine cross cum in), an’ Joktan wuz also uh -connection ub Ja_k_an. Well, put uh “p” wha dat “k” am, an’ you hab -Ja_p_an. Mars Pinckney say hit’s plain ter his mind. - -“Dar’s fusion in de Bible erbout de name, kase in some places dey call -it Akan; an’ dat fusion is kase dey got uh “k” ’sted ub uh “p” in po’ -Jakan’s name. It’s uh sad thing ter twiss uh man’s name dat way. - -“Ez I hab de ’cludin’ re-marks, I will add mo’ ter de application ef’n -Brer Rasmus rassles hyard wid de subjec’.” - -Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes: - -“Sistus an’ brudders ub Kyarline, Queen Anne’s an’ Talbot County: Ef’n -Shake—what de res’ ub he name?” - -Uncle Reubin Viney (with austerity)—“Shakespeare.” - -“Well, ef’n Shakespeare an’ Horace (I dunno what Horace he talkin’ -erbout, but ef’n he mean Miss Rodgers’ Horace, I won’ bleebe anything he -say), an’ if dat book an’ Horace is ez ornsortin an’ mixed up ez de -mirations ub Brer Damon Danridge, den I don’ think much ub de book. Mo’n -dat, Rash-nal an’ Pus-nal got nuffin ter do wid dis rebate, an’, Brer -Viney, I wan’ you ter rule Shakespeare, Horace, Rash-nal an’ Pus-nal -outin’ it. - -“Hits ornpropper ter talk erbout dat book ’long side de Bible. I wouldn’ -walk ’cross dis room ter shake hands wid Shakes-peare, an’ ef’n de truf -wuz knewed, I speck he wuz one ub dem Quakers. - -“Belubbed, ev’ybody kin see fum Deacon Danridge speech dat he got no -confluence in Ho Ho’s breedin’, ebin got ter bring pig-tails in dis -rebate. What dey got ter do wid uh Japne er Chine?” - -Deacon Damon Danridge—“Ef’n you had read any phlos’phy you’d no dat -Chinese hab pig-tails.” - -“You kyant see th’oo a millstone less’n it got uh hole in it, but you -kin see th’oo uh pain ub glass ef’n da ain’ no hole in it, an’ it’s -clare ez uh pain ub glass dat Ho Ho wan’ no Chine er Japne. I kyant read -an’ spell so ve’y well, ez I nebber _’longed ter er dribe fuh uh -Piscopalium preacher_, but Little Billy kin read, an’ he bin readin’ -ober an’ ober ter me de Book ub Cronicles, Rebellation, Jerry-Myehr, -Sams, Daniel, Jona an’ Zacharihy, so I reckon dem books jes’ ez trufful -ez de Book ub Genesis. Now, de Book ub Daniel say, chapter de fus’, “De -chillun ub Juda, Daniel, Hana-Nia, Mishel an’ Azarihy all had deah name -chang’ by Nebacudnezzer. Daniel’s change ter Bell-Shazzer, uh ooman’s -name; Hana-Nia, uh man wid uh ooman’s name, ter Shadrack; Mishel ter -Meshac, an’ Azarihy ter Abed_negro_. ’Cose he mus uh bin uh dark pusson -like Ham””—— - -Deacon Damon Danridge—“Brer Jemes, kin you qualify dat lars miration?” - -“Sut’ny I kin! Hit’s all in de Book ub Daniel erboutin de time Daniel -saw de han’writin’ on de wall. Now, ef’n de chillun ub Juda had deah -names changed, why cudn’ Noahy change de animals’ tails ef’n he felt -like it? Brer Danridge, wha’s Rash-nal now? An’ wha’s yo’ condidence in -Ho Ho’s breedin’? - -“Why dey change de names ub dem chillun is mo’ dan I kin ondastan; dey -wan’ ornry, an’ had dun nuffin; fac’ is, de king say [reading from the -Bible], ‘Dey ten times better dan de musisioners an’ ’stronemers in de -law;’ an’ dey wuz fine players, too. De Bible say, ‘Dey played de -cornet, flute, hyarp, an’ sackbut.’ Dat lars’ instrument is ez much uh -myst’ry ter me ez Ho Ho. - -“We read in de book ub Daniel dey played _all kinds ub music_; mo’n dat, -dey wuz all ’ceppin’ Daniel _fireproof_. - -“I kin almos’ see sweet little Ham playin’ wid dem gre’t musisioners. -Kin anybody see Ho Ho? Not ef he wuz uh Chine er Japne, kase dey wudn’ -_’low no sech music ez dat dem days_, when de Petracks made de laws.” - -Now, Zacharyhy he only name fo’ pussons—(I’m readin’ fum de Book ub -Zacharyhy)—an’ all de names ’ceppin’ Ho Ho’s cummenc’ wid de letter “b.” -He lubbed “b” so much, wonder he didn’ name Ho Ho Bo Bo. I s’pose Brer -Damon wud call Bochim, Bill-hah, Be-Tah, Beth-Sham an’ Belzebub Chine er -Japne. Well, I reckon _de lars one_ wuz Chine. Leab you alone, Brer -Danridge, you’d meck rat-eaters ub all de saints. - -“Obid, de pa ub Jesse, is only spoke ub uh few times in de Bible; -how-some-ebber, he wuz uh gran’ man, an’ he gre’t-gre’t-gre’t-gre’t -granpa wuz Ram.” - -Damon—“Ras, you mean Sham.” - -“No, I don’; I mean Ram! I reckon I bin readin’ an’ westigatin’ de Bible -ez well ez Brer Damon, an’ I wan’ ter tell him when C’lumbus ’sciver’d -Americy he ’sciver’d Talbot County befo’ he did Kyarline County. I -s’pose you’d call Obid uh Chine? - -“Ho Ho is only mentioned once in Zacharyhy’s narration, but think what -er gre’t man he wuz, fuh de vus say, ‘Ho Ho, cum forth an’ flee fum de -lan’ ub de North, saith de Lawd: fuh I hab spread you abroad (jes see -what condidence Zacharyhy had in him) as de fo’ winds ub de heaben, -saith de Lawd.’ - -“In dem days de fo’ winds mus’ uh all blow’d _Souf_, kase Zacharyhy -tells him ‘Ter flee fum de lan’ ub de _Norf_.’ - -“My erpinion is dat Ho Ho wuz de nick name fuh one ub de Petracks, fuh I -once heah Mars Pinckney say in uh sermon dat Ab’ham, Isaac er Jacob, I -fogit which, dwelt in de Souf country. - -“Zacharyhy knew how ter spressify hissef. ’Tain’ no use mentionin’ gre’t -people all de time. Damon nose how ter spressify hissef _sometimes_, but -not ter night. He wudn’ interjuice Rash-nal, Pus-nal, Horace, -Shakespeare, an’ all sorts ub animals’ tails in dis rebate, ef’n he -wan’t skeetin’ [skating] on thin ice, an’ fustyfied. - -“Mo’n dat, is da _any_ pusson heah dat s’poses Zacharyhy, whose Pa wuz -uh king, would put all dat condidence in uh Japne er Chine? - -“Lars’ but not leas’, Little Billy say he thinks he read somewha in de -Bible dat Ho Ho hab a beard. Now, ef’n de Japnes an’ Chinese don’ hab -beards dese days, ’twuz ornpossible dey had beards dem days.” - -Uncle Reubin Viney: “Dis hab bin uh pow’ful arg’ment, an’ arfter careful -meddowtatin’, I ’sposed ter think Ho Ho uh Japne wid two Chine crosses, -but it’s uh subjec’ ub gre’t consequation; dafo’ I pint Pawson Phil -Demby, Deacon Damon Danridge an’ Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes arbiters -futto such de Scripturs, an’ ef’n dey fine Ho Ho had heavy whiskus den I -’cide Ho Ho wan’ no Japne er Chine.” - -Little Billy: “Pawson Demby, hit woudn’ s’prise me ef’n hoe-cake wuz _Ho -Ho_ cake, name arfter Ho Ho. John Poney al’ays sez ho ho cake.” - -Tilly Mink: “Dat’s kase he stutters! Let dat man’s tung ’lone, Billy; -you no he tung-tide.” - -Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes (with great ostentation): “Uncle Reubin, it’s -bad ’nuff ter hab Horace, Rash-nal, Pus-nal an’ Shakespeare in dis -rebate, an’ wussa still ter call Ho Ho uh Japne er Chine, but ter call -de sweet hoe-cake uh Japne er Chine cake, is mo’ dan I kin ondastan, an’ -hit’s scanlous an’ ornichious.” - - - - - RASH-NAL AN’ PUS-NAL. - - - De summer night hit’s lubly when you wa’kin wid yo’ gal - An’ she sweetah dan de honey ub de bee; - An’ she ’low dat you kyant kiss huh, kase hit ain’ rash-nal, - At de grapevine hangin’ by de holly tree. - - But de summer night gits lublier, when swingin’ ’side dat gal, - An’ yo’ ahm a’mos’ destracted ’roun’ huh waise; - Kase she look inter yo’ face, an’ say, “Ain’ you pus-nal?” - When you go down on huh mouf an’ teck uh tas’e. - - Da’s no swing like de grapevine! hit’s sut’ny de bes’, - Kase you hab ter set ornpropper all de time, - You swing so close togedda dat you kine er mus’ caress, - Fuh you al’ays got dat black gal on yo’ mine. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: - - BLACK CREEK, BELOW THE FALLS. -] - - - - - DE COMPOSATION UB DE SNIPE. - - -Little Billy was as black as a tar pot, short of stature, very -bow-legged, cunning as a fox, and smart. When he drew his bow across a -fiddle it made you feel like dancing, and when there was a dance among -the overseers, Billy played, and called out, “Swing yo’ partners;” -“pigeon wing,” “ladies ter de center,” etc. He set muskrat traps, fished -on Sundays, and often coon and ’possum hunted Sunday nights. His bow -legs enabled him to climb like a cat, and no tree was too big for him to -_negotiate_ if Truman treed up the same; and when Billy sang out, “Put -him up, True!” and Truman “chawed de bark an’ wep, an’ ’stressed -hissef,” as Billy would say, you might be sure there was a coon in the -tree. - -Billy was a slave, helped to milk the cows, tote fire wood, pick the -chickens, turkeys and geese, and was “horngry” all the time. The negroes -thought Billy monstrous wise, but thought Satan would get him. He was an -innocent fabricator, and a harmless rogue. - -One day whilst husking corn he said he had once killed twelve eagles at -a shot. The darkies remonstrated with him, and said they had never seen -more than two eagles at a time, whereupon Billy said he had killed ten. -They continued to taunt him until he dropped to three, and then said, -“I’ll die befo’ I drap another eagle!” - -One Saturday in March Billy sauntered to the humble cabin of Jerry and -Caesar Butler, brothers and free negroes, to steal a dozen raw. They -lived at the head of a creek, fished, oystered, and hunted the marsh for -muskrats for a livelihood. Saturday night the boat came, and he knew -they would have several barrels of oysters for the steamer. The weather -was not very cold and he assumed they were oystering, because the day -before whilst they were out Billy had slipped over and stolen a cooking -’possum. Arriving at the cabin, lo! and behold, Caesar and Jerry were -both on deck, the former lamenting and pondering about his ’possum, the -latter skinning a lot of muskrats he had trapped the night before. - -Caesar was fond of ’possum, and returning from oystering hungry and -tired, stopped at the country store, bought a pint of applejack and a -fat ’possum, went home, put his ’possum in the ashes, covered it with -coals, took several swigs of applejack, and went soundly to -sleep—_’possum struck_. - -When Billy appeared the ’possum was nicely roasted, which Billy ate, -piled the bones in Caesar’s lap, greased his hands and face, so when -Caesar awoke he found his hands and cheeks greasy, and a pile of ’possum -bones in his lap. He licked his hands, and said, “Dat’s ’possum;” felt -his cheeks and said, “Dat’s ’possum sho’,” and when he saw the pile of -bones in his lap, said: “Dat’s ’stonishin’ applejack, an’ de mos’ -ornsatisfactionis’ ’possum dat ebber I et.” - -Billy was very generous and when he had money would buy oysters, but -without money would invite himself to take, and generally took them, for -he was prodigal. It was nothing unusual for him to go to the country -store and buy two eggs’ worth of molasses, of which he was very fond. - -Billy had to have an excuse for his midday visit, so he pondered quite a -while inventing one. The ’possum came to mind, and his heart sank into -his boots. Then he thought of the snipe that had pitched on the marsh -the night before, and soon had a yarn ready; so as the two old brothers -sat gazing into the soothing fire, watching some bacon fry, he sauntered -in, looking _meek like_, and said he had “come to tell dem what he heahd -de Jack Snipe say on de mash lars nite, when he wuz mus’rattin’.” Jerry -and Caesar were credulous and superstitious, but questioned Billy’s -hearing the snipe talk. True they thought them “ve’y ’ceitful and -_quare_ birds, but nebber heahd dem talk.” Billy said, “Crows an’ -parrots talk, but dey wan’ anyt’ing ter jack snipe. Ghoses an’ witches -libbed in cow’s hohns! Watah rail tu’ned inter frogs an’ jack snipe -tu’ned into jack-uh-ma-lanterns, which wuz ’ceitful larf in witches, but -after all, hit all ain’ harf ez strange ez uh little blossom meckin’ uh -watermillion.” - -The brothers were now perplexed and anxious to hear Billy’s story, and -when urged said he “wuz too horngry to tell ’bout hit, mus’ go home an’ -git some dinner;” whereupon Jerry suggested oysters, which Billy said he -“wuz not ve’y fon’ ub, but dey wud do.” Then he gave the snipe story, as -follows: - -“I wuz mus’rattin’ on de mash lars’ nite. De moon had jes’ riz, an’ de -tide wuz creepin’ in jes’ ez quiet an’ rash-nal ez uh settin’ hen. De -creek an’ de mash look so lubly, I ’gin ter muse an’ fogot ’bout de -mus’rats, an’ wuz t’inkin’ boutin uh new chune I’s learnin’ ter play, -call, ‘I Sweeps de Kitchen Clean’—when, sizz! cum uh flite ub dem snipe, -an’ dey mos’ lit on me. I reckon dey wud, but I say, ‘You better mine -yo’sef, snipe!’ Bimeby one ub ’em say ter uh frog dat wuz chawin’ uh -grasshopper not mo’n de length ub uh fence rail fum me, ‘Lubly nite, Mr. -Frog!’” - -Jerry: “Now, hush! I al’ays sed dem birds wuz strange—cum ter day an’ -gone ter morrow!” - -[Illustration: - - Partridge Hunting at “Fairlands”—Rob Roy and Rose. -] - -“Den de snipe say, ‘What sort ub frogs you bin keepin’ comp’ny wid?’ -Uncle Jerry, I got so skeerd an’ cole I ain’ got warm yit.” - -Uncle Caesar: “Po’ Billy! Won’ you hab ub sip ub applejack?” - -“Ef you don’ t’ink I’ll get too het up.” - -Uncle Caesar: “’Cose you won’!” - -“Well, den, heah’s luck!” - -“Sarvis ter you, Billy! Now go on ’bout dat sassy frog an’ snipe.” - -“Well, de frog he say, ‘I’s uh white-bellied frog, I is! I ain’ no kin -ter toad frogs. I is uh qual’ty frog. What kounty you fum, Mr. Snipe?’” - -Uncle Jerry Butler: “Now, Billy, you mean ter tell me you heahd dat -composation?” - -Little Billy: “’Cose I did! Ain’ you nebber heahd uh frog talk, Uncle -Jerry?” - -“No indeed, chile!” - -“Dat’s kase you don’ keep quiet ’nuff. How cum dey hab sich _long tungs_ -ef’n dey kyant talk? Why, heah’s uh book gib me by Mars John Charles -lars’ Chrismus, writ by (I kyant read de fus’ part ub de name, but hit -en’s wid Sop) [Aesop]. Dat pictur’ is wha de frogs is askin’ fuh uh -king.” - -Uncle Jerry: “De Lawd bless meh soul, what is we ter speck nex’? Lemme -see de pictur’, Billy.” - -“Well, I struck at dat frog wid meh paddle. He jes’ wink he eye, grunt, -an’ gib me sich uh curisome look, dat I got so skeered an’ cole I kyant -git wa’m; so I don’ feel peart ’nuff ter tell de res’ ub de story.” - -Uncle Jerry: “Teck sum mo’ applejack, Billy; but don’ teck much, kase -hit’s applejack dat mecks you _ve’y fogitful_.” - -“Dat lars’ drink mecks me feel nice an’ wa’m! Well, when de frog say, -‘What kounty you cum fum?’ de snipe say, ‘Souf Kharlina!’ Den de frog -say, “What meck you set so fur out in de mash? De mud, grass an’ bresh -is fine in heah, an’ jes’ ez wa’m ez uh tose, an’ plenty ub tussocks, -too.’ De jacksnipe say, ‘I nebber sleep er feed ’doutin I kin see all -’roun’ me. I’s got uh game leg, an’ I will tell you all erbout mehsef. -What yo’ fus’ name, Mr. Frog? Bull! Dat’s uh lubly name. Meh name is -Cap’n Jack Snipe!’” - -“Mr. Frog: ‘What sorter spring you hab?’ - -“Cap’n Snipe: ‘Not ve’y nice. Grasshoppus an’ wumms is so sca’ce, an’ ez -I befo’ tole you, I got uh game leg an’ kyant git ’roun’ good. “All -moufs mus’ eat, but all moufs musn’ eat gravel.” Dat’s chicken an’ -tukkey food, I eats wumms, grasshoppus, an’ sich like.’ - -“‘Well, how boutin de game leg, Cap’n? I ’gin ter think you ain’ got no -game leg.’ - -“‘Deed I is; an’ dat game leg cum fum fallin’ in lub. Let me tell you -fus’ what meh tase is an’ how brabe I is. I lub de juicy mash, glade an’ -meadow, an’ I is feared ub nuffin ceppin hawks, owls, guns, dogs an’ -mus’rats. But when I tu’ns inter uh Jack-uh-ma-lantern I ain’ feared ub -nuffin.’” - -Uncle Jerry: “Billy, look at me! You sho’ dat snipe spressify dey tu’n -inter Jack-uh-ma-lanterns?” - -“Cross meh hyart an’ bref.” - -Uncle Jerry: “Well, den, I eat no mo’ snipe! Dat mus’ be de reason I’s -bin dreamin’ so bad.” - -Little Billy: “Talkin’ ’bout dem Jack-uh-ma-lanterns meck me feel quare. -I is trimlin’ like uh aspine leaf.” - -“Teck ’nubba nip, Billy, an’ try ter ’stain yo’sef tell you git th’oo -dis s’prisin’ narration.” - -“Well, he say: ‘Meh name Cap’n Jack Snipe, an’ I cummand uh comp’ny ub -snipe, an’ we gwine ter summer on dis mash wid some cute young lady -snipe fum Souf Kyarlina, dat’s gwine ter mate heah, an’ ub cose, nes’. -De mus’rats don’ meck any mo’ mirations ’bout dis mash den I do. An’ de -wumms, an’ de sweet roots dat grow heah wud ’tract uh snipe fum any -State. I heahd uh woodcock say lars’ summer dat she had trabel uh good -deal, but had nebber seen sich uh mash ez Wile Goose Mash. I sleeps well -out on de mash kase I am de cap’n ub dis comp’ny ub snipe, an’ has ter -watch out. Dat’s why I ain’ shuck yo’ han’, Mr. Frog; kase I is ve’y -sociable, an’ likes frogs eben ef dey do say when he go co’tin’ he carry -uh swo’d an’ pisel by he side. Hit’s mos’ my co’tin’ time!’ - -“Mr. Frog: ‘When’s dat?’ - -“‘When de peach an’ cherry trees am bloomin’, when de bees am suckin’ -clober, an’ de patridge say, “Bob White,” we gits in lub, an’ wants uh -mate. It’s ’nuff ter meck you cry, Mr. Frog, but dat’s de time I got uh -game leg. Hit wuz one lubly day early in May. I wuz sorter dozin’ ’side -uh tussock, ebery now an’ den ketchin’ uh grub wum, when I saw uh gran’ -lookin’ pinter dog, gallopin’ same ez uh race hoss, cummin’ my way, an’ -not fur behin’ him uh man in gum boots. Sez I ter mehsef, sez I, when -you git erboutin uh hun’erd ya’ds fum me I’ll dart ’way. Jes’ den uh -putty young lady snipe fum Firginny darted fum un’er uh nearby tussock, -winked huh lubly black eyes in de mos’ coaxin’ way, spread huh tail like -uh dear little fan.’” - -Uncle Caesar: “Wan’ she uh sassy snipe?” - -“‘So I say in de p’lites’ way, “Won’ you tase dis wum?” In uh moment she -stood ’side me an’ say in words mo’ sweetah dan de mockin’ birds, “I’s -got such miration fuh you I kyant resis’.” A moment later I heahd dat -gunner say, “Careful da!” I ris up. Bang! Uh number ten shot wen’ th’oo -meh thigh, an’ dat’s why I got uh game leg.’” - -Uncle Jerry Butler: “Billy, I s’pose I mus’ bleebe yo’ story, kase I -heah ’em read down ter de sto’ lars’ nite, dat uh hen lay uh gole egg, -which is wussa yit. How-some-eber, I sut’ny wud lub ter ketch one ub dem -breed ub chickens uh roosin’ ’roun’ heah.” - - - - - NANCY YOUNG. - - -In Pleasant Valley, at the head of Fausley Creek, there were several -quarters, in one of which lived Nancy Young, not a stone’s throw from -the quarter of Aunt Cassey. Nancy helped in milking the cows, churning, -making butter, and at harvest time helped the cooks, but Mammy Nancy, as -the darkies called her, was virtually her own mistress, and was never -required to do hard work; in short, she was the plantation doctress, and -it was seldom that any little darkies came into the world without Mammy -Nancy’s assisting their advent. The negroes thought her inspired, and -when they had ailments Nancy made them a decoction that went to the -spot; in brief, she was well acquainted with the use of herbs. She had -faithfully nursed Mrs. Isaac Atkinson, a Quakeress and neighbor, who -imparted to her many of her secret remedies; some of these would have -enlightened a modern doctor. For example, she had a remedy for what she -called “cowbuncle,” which was almost a specific for carbuncle. Nancy -especially doted on making catnip tea, and when she held in her faithful -arms a cantankerous baby, and crooned and gave it catnip tea, “De chile -wan’ pestered no mo.’” - -She was motherly, sympathetic and a born nurse, and not only attended -the servants, but nursed the ladies of the neighborhood. She was -extremely pious, and if she had not been, I do not know what would have -become of Little Billy; she was his wife. - -Nancy was full of determination and spirit, and when Billy came in early -in the morning from ’possum hunting without a ’possum, she always -suspected he had been to Major Rudd’s store, and took the strong hand -with him that he took with his steers, and would not let him have his -banjo and pipe. - -The earliest watermelons grew in her garden, and she had spring chicken -weeks before her neighbors. Billy was not allowed even to go into the -garden, for she was afraid he might disturb her herb patch. It did not -disturb Billy, however, who preferred his corncob pipe and banjo. Nancy -was very fond of music, and once she said to me: “Billy ain’ got no -erligion, but he do play de banjo same ez uh cherrypin” [cherubim]. - -Some gypsies struck their tents on the main road about a mile from -Nancy’s home, and one night a man rode up, inquired for Mammy Nancy, and -said his wife was sick. She was soon with the gypsy, who was ailing some -two weeks, and when Nancy returned she was not only a doctress, but a -firm believer in witchcraft, and could tell your fortune by looking at -your hand. - -Nancy was making some bone-set and snake-root tea—Billy had the shakes, -so she said—when Billy broke the silence by asking, “Nancy, what’s de -matter wid dem hens?” - -“Billy, you know uh mink skerd de hens week ’fo’ lars’, an’ ’sturbed -deah mem’ry fuh layin’. I ain’ got but eight eggs ter-day an’ none -yistiddy, so dese all we got fuh suppah.” - -“Is you got de spider hot? Well, den, cut orf eight slices ub bacon an’ -den we will hab uh slice ub bacon fuh each egg. Heah’s some kinlin’ wood -I picked up in Mars Pinckney’s woodpile, an’ by de time de bacon is -fryin’ good—dat is, de grease bilin’—speck me back wid fo’ catfish I -kotch in de net lars’ nite, which will keep us fum gittin’ horngry befo’ -suppah time. I’m gwine ter de rebate ter-night.” - -“Billy, ez I ondastan’ hit da ain’ much use gwine. Uncle Reubin, Pawson -Demby an’ Damon Danridge is on de side futto ’sterminate de witches, an’ -dat fusty niggah, Jerry Jones, is fuh lettin’ de witches lib. Now I don’ -kuh any mo’ fuh him dan I do fuh uh shirk! Tell me, lars’ nite at Mage -Rudd’s sto’ he spressify hissef dat he wuz so well ’quainted wid de -witches in Haylan’ Branch dat dey al’ays bow ter him when dey meet him; -an’ he say he of’n hab composation wid ’em, an’ dat dey hab de gre’tes’ -condidence in him; an’ Mage Rudd say he has heahd de witches mo’n once -praisin’ him. He’s got uh bran’ new fiddle an’ bo’ dat cos’ $9, which he -made fum coon hides in one monf. De fac’ is, strange ez hit may seem, -dey won’ let nobody hunt in Haylan’ Branch ceppin Jerry. Mo’n dat, dey -tell me he said he wan’ feared ub de sponsibility ub rebatin’ by hissef; -dat de witches sass him sometimes, but fuh de mos’ part dey kine and -lubly.” - -“Now, Nancy, Jerry nebba spressify dat de witches lubly.” - -“Yas he did! Mo’n dat, Ceaser an’ Jerry Butler heah him, an’ dey so -pestered ’boutin dem witches ’stead ub walkin’ fum deah house thoo -Pleasant Walley ter wha dey keep deah boat on de ribba, not mo’n uh -quarter ub uh mile fum deah house, dey walks two miles ’roun’ de walley, -dey so feared dem witches ride an’ whup ’em. Hit wudn’ s’prise me ef’n -de debbil wuz ter transplant Jerry same ez de Lawd transplanted Eunuch. -Why, he’s ebin ’cused de Petracks ub lubbin’ an’ keepin’ comp’ny wid -witches. Hit’s scan’lus! Damon Danridge say dat he heah Jerry Jones say -dat Samuel de fus’ use ter let witches roos’ all erroun’ his house, an’ -dat hit’s true dat Moses fell out wid uh witch an’ say, [10]”Thou shall -not suffah uh witch ter lib,” an’ he mout uh kilt ’em all, but jes’ den -Mars Noahy an’ his cullud son Ham driv up wid uh bag an’ say, “Saul, I’m -bleeged ter hab uh par ub witches fuh meh boat,” an’ Jerry ’low dat de -sponsibility resses wid Mars Noahy, de father ub dat lubly boy Ham. - -“Stephen, what is de rebate ezactly? I dunno what you gwine fuh! I hab -uh gre’t mine ter meck you stay home an’ hab nuffin ter do wid witches. -How kin you go ter de rebate when da is three hens hatchin’, an’ minks -imperdent? Da is only one thing I want you ter go fuh, an’ I bin layin’ -out futto tell you. - -“Yistiddy mawnin’ I wuz crossin’ de road gwine ter de thicket wha dat -speckled hen name “Yaller Legs” is hatchin’—in de pile ub jack-oak brush -close ter de spring—when, lo an’ beholst! dat free niggah Jim Brooks cum -erlong. He wuz dribin’ in his kyart uh po’ leetle harf-starbed steer, -an’ I wuz jes’ thinkin’ ter mehsef, Is dat kyart movin’ er no, so slow -wuz he gwine. De truf is de leetle steer wan’ much bigger dan one ub -Mars Pinckney’s wethers. Tho’ I nebba been interjuced ter dat Jim Brooks -(me dat waits on de qual’ty), jes’ ez I cross de road dat free niggah -say ter his steer, ‘Step up, Pete, step up; an’ look out, stranger, dat -you don’ git run ober!’ Now, I cornsider dat de wus’ sort ub impotence, -an’ I wan’ you ter tell him so ef’n he is at Zion ter-night. I’m not -gwine ter stan’ hit. Ef’n he had uh par ub fars-trottin’ steers like -Uncle Simon’s, hit wud be bad ’nuff, but ter be ’sulted by dat sort ub -miration is scan’lus.” - -“Well, Nancy, stay home an’ let me go ter de rebate; dem chickens’ -hatchin’ is pow’ful waluble. I gib Mage Rudd five levys fuh thutty ub -dem eggs, an’ he say dat breed ub chickens cum fum Henrico County, -Firginny, an’ once lay uh gole egg; so ub cose dey wuf watchin’ day an’ -nite. Mo’n dat, I am one ub de arbiters, an’ I won’ let dat imperdent -free niggah Jim Brooks dat ’sulted you cum in Zion, ef’n hit breck up de -rebate. I holp ter meck de brick fuh dat chuch, an’ I sut’ny got some -sponsibility in de matter.” - -“Well, Billy, when you spressify yo’sef dat way, ez de moon is so young, -an’ hit so dark, I will stay home.” - -Their conversation was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door, which -Nancy opened and exclaimed, “Bless meh soul an’ body, an’ body an’ soul, -ef’n hit ain’ young Mistis! Why, honey, howdy; an’ wha you bin?” - -“Mammy Nancy, one of Father’s ewes died in February and left a dear -little lamb. I took it to the house, fed it from a bottle, and it became -like Mary’s little lamb—everywhere that I went the lamb was sure to go. -Early this morning I started out to get the first spring flowers. After -I had walked about a mile I heard Snow Flake bleating, and looking back -saw her gambolling after me. When I passed the fold a hundred or more of -beautiful leaping lambs romped around her, and soon my sweet Snow Flake -seemed to forget me and skipped and played with the other lambs. I felt -that I would be a wolf to take that lamb from the flock; and yet, Mammy -Nancy, I love that little lamb so much. And, oh! how I have watched and -tended it! Finally I walked to your spring, sat down and cried, and then -I felt thirsty; and when I looked for the gourd that hangs on the nail -in the pine tree it was gone. So I have come for the gourd.” - -“Dat’s Billy’s carlesomeness; dar’s de gourd, honey, in de watah bucket. -Miss Marg’retta, you looks ez sweet ez dem flowers dat’s reposin’ on yo’ -bres’. I bin heahin’ erbout you. Dey tell me de bows jes’ cum in drobes -futto see you. De fac’ is, you is mo’ beau’ful an’ beau’ful ev’y day. -Dey tells me dat de young marsters cum fum Balt’mo’ ter see you; -how-some-eber, I heah dat Mars John Charles Dickinson, fum Queens Anne’s -County, is yo’ favorite. He! He! He! Dat’s what Miss Osman say. Got uh -new ring on yo’ fingah, too; but Ole Mars ain’ gwine ter let you merry -anybody ceppin uh Pres’dent er sompin’ like dat. Chile, lemmy tell yo’ -fortune?” - -[Illustration: - - Courtesy Knaffl Bros., Knoxville, Tenn. - - You gwine ter merry uh king an’ hab thutteen chillun! -] - -“All right, Mammy Nancy.” - -“Do you wan’ uh long fortune er uh short fortune?” - -“Well, a short one to-day and to-morrow I will come and get the long -one.” - -“Mistis, I will teck yo’ lef’ han’ ter-day. How does you keep yo’ han’s -so white an’ dimpled? Dar’s many uh one ub dem young men dat fox hunts -wid Ole Mars dat wud gib deah hyarts ter hole dis han’; deed dey wud. -One, two, three, fo’ five, six, sebin, eight, nine, ten, ’lebin, twelbe, -thutteen. Yo’ gwine ter merry uh king an’ hab thutteen chillun. Billy, -go out an’ see how dem hens is hatchin’.” - -When Billy was sent out Margaretta thought it was going to be a long -fortune, so she switched the conversation off and said, “Has Billy got -religion? We haven’t heard of his being at Major Rudd’s store of late, -fiddling and banjo playing.” - -Nancy said, “Billy goes ter Mr. Dawson’s sto’ now, uh mile fudder up de -rode, futto sell his eggs, mus’rat hides an’ coon hides. You see Mage -Rudd fell out wid Billy, an’ ’twuz all uh accident. It wuz dis way: Fus’ -place Mage Rudd sol’ Billy some eggs dat cos’ 2 cents uh piece. He say -dat de breed ub chickens dat dey cum fum once laid uh gole egg. Well, -Billy’s eggs all hatched ducks. Billy wuz furisome, an’ wen’ right ’way -ter Mage Rudd’s sto’, but he got sich uh way ub twissin’ his tongue dat -he twiss out ub it by sayin’ dat somebody swap eggs wid Billy. Cose den -I molested him boutin dem duck eggs, an’ he say, ‘Nancy, I hab got uh -ve’y fine new lantern fuh sale, an’ I wan’ ter sell you one.’ Sez I, -‘Why; I’s got uh good lantern.’ ‘Well,’ sez he, ‘Billy’s so black you -wan’ uh fus’-class lantern ter stick outin de winder in de mawnin’ ter -see ef’n day is broke!’ Now, qual’ty people wud nebba talk dat way, an’ -dat’s what made Billy skeer dem frogs ub Mage Rudd’s.” - -“Well, what did Billy do?” - -“Well, Mage Rudd had uh empty mullasses barrel in front ub de sto’, an’ -de flies wuz swa’min’ erroun’ hit same ez uh swa’m ub bees, an’ Mage -Rudd’s toad-frogs wuz almos’ ez thick ez de flies, an’ dey wuz ketchin’ -de flies same ez de debbil ketches sinnahs. - -“Well, ’twuz erboutin sundown when Billy cum erlong an’ seed dem flies -an’ frogs. So he got uh piece ub ole rope, hide hissef ’hine de barrel, -an’ den he twiss dat rope thoo de grass ezactly like uh snake. De frogs -dat wan’ full ub flies an’ cud jump went all ober dat sto’, in de -butter, mullasses, sugar, brakin’ eggs, lamp chimneys, nockin’ down -bottles, an’ wussa still, dey jumped ’roun’ Mage Rudd’s ole maiden -sistuh’s feets an’ ankles, tell she tuck up huh dress like she gwine -wadin’. Mars Pinckney say she mussa tho’t de frogs wuz _garter_ snakes. -But de mos’ ’stressin’ part ub all wuz de frogs dat wuz full ub flies -an’ cudn’ hop; dey los’ deah mines—bellerd an’ wep’, wep’ an’ bellered -wuss dan uh pon’ full ub horngry calves. Uh big frog pon’ wuz nuffin ter -hit. - -“Mage Rudd ’low he didn’ keer fuh de flies, er de things dat wuz -’stroyed in de sto’, but he did keer _fuh dem frogs_; dat he wuz uh -widderer, wid no chillun, an’ summer ebenin’s dem frogs ’mused him; an’ -lars, but not leas’, dat he wuz keepin’ dat rope _fuh Billy_, an’ when -he kotch him he wud meck him jump leap frog.” - -Billy fully intended going to the debate, but on his way he met a lot of -coon hunters, forgot the debate and returned to his quarter about -daylight, when he explained matters to Mammy Nancy. She said, “You -shan’t hab yo’ pipe fuh uh monf.” Whereupon Billy, to melt Mammy Nancy, -tuned his banjo, twanged it and sang: - - “Didn’ my Lawd d’liver Daniel? - D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel. - Didn’ my Lawd d’liver Daniel? - An’ why not ev’y man. - - “He d’liver’d Daniel fum de lions’ den, - Jo-nah fum de belly ub de whale, - An’ de He-boo chillun fum de fiery furnace, - An’ why not ev’y man. - - “De win’ blows Eas’ an’ de win’ blow Wes’; - It blows like de judgment day, - An’ ev’y po’ soul dat nebba did pray - Will be glad ter pray dat day.” - -When Billy had finished singing Nancy said, “I reckon you kin hab yo’ -pipe, Billy, ef’n you promise ter jine de chuch.” And Billy promised -“ter jine.” - - - - - MARS PINCKNEY’S ’SIMMONS - - - De chickens all hab gone ter roos’, de milkin’s almos’ ober; - I heah de hooppo-will’s loud song, de rabbits in de clober, - De ’possum gittin’ out ub bed, de coon he ’gin ter wake, - An’ one, er bof, in Haylan’ Branch, I specks ter obertake. - - Da ain’ no moon, de stars is brite, de ’simmons ripe an’ sweet— - De ve’y night fuh Traveler ter sent uh varment’s feet; - Befo’ de roostus crow hit’s day, an’ ’fo’ de Bob White stir, - I no I’ll heah de lubly tongue ub meh dog Traveler. - - Jes’ ez I harked him in de branch, an’ wa’k ’long de parf, - I seed de bushes moobin’, an’ I heahd uh leetle larf; - ’Twuz den de dog cum ter de tree an’ made uh monstus fuss, - An’ what wuz in dat ’simmon tree wuz wuss dan scanalous. - - At fus’ I tho’t hit wuz uh owl, but coon dogs don’ tree owls, - An’ Traveler wuz too skeer’d ter bark, ’twuz jes’ uh stream ub howls; - So den I look up in de tree, an’ settin’ ’pon uh lim’, - Wuz uh cunnin’ leetle niggah, sorter hummin’ ub uh hymn. - - I saw ’twuz leetle Ezzy feedin’ on dem ’simmons ripe— - De night befo’ he’d tole “De composation ub de snipe;” - He al’ays spressify hissef in sech uh cutesome way - Dat ev’ybody lubbed him, an’ bleebe what Billy say. - - So I didn’ wan’ ter ’stress him, but meck bleebe I did, - An’ said, “Fum Caesar’s quarters hencefof you is fuhbid;” - An’ den dat leetle roscal say he didn’ cuh fuh me, - “Dese is Mars Pinckney’s ’simmons, an’ Mars Pinckney’s ’simmon tree.” - - I tole him ef’n I had uh ax I’d cut de fruit tree down, - An’ ef he fell an’ breck he neck when he struck on de groun’ - Hit wouldn’ ’stress me any, kase you t’ink yo’sef so wise, - An’ you de sort ub niggah dat de Babtis’ chuch dispise. - - - - - “DEM DAYS.” - - -“Is this Uncle Stephen Demby?” - -“Yas, honey; dat’s meh name! I jes’ got in fum crabbin’. Lemmy put meh -paddles un’er de house ter keep dese carelessom’ gre’t-gran’chillun ub -mine fum fin’in’ ’em. Dem two gals, Marfy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de -watah sorf crabbin’ is meh gran’chillun. An’ jes’ look at dem two boys -er ridin’ dat cow ub Mars Pinckney’s; dem is meh gre’t-gran’chillun, an’ -dey monstus bad. (Ef’n you don’ git of’n dat cow I’ll whup you till da -ain’ no bref in you!) Dar’s three ub dem boys, an’ dey name Stephen, -Saul an’ Bonypart, an’ like ez not de one name Bonypart is ridin’ dat -cow’s calf. Deah gre’t-gran’mammy gibs ’em too much cawn bred, an’ hit -natchelly puts noshuns in deah haids.” - -“Do you live here?” - -“Yas’um; but de road don’ go no fudder. You’r sho’ly on de rong road, -chile; dat’s de road ter de Royal Oak, an’ de road you on is wha dey bin -haulin’ oyster shells, ter fix de road you lef’.” - -[Illustration: - - Dem two gals, Marthy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de watah sorf crabbin’ is - meh gran’chillun. -] - -“Uncle Stephen, I know exactly where I am, and I have come to see you, -and want you to tell me all about Talbot County before the war, so that -I can put it in my magazine.” - -“Well, bless meh soul an’ body, an’ meh body an’ soul. Heh! heh! heh! -Jes’ speckin’, I reckon, futto see Mars Pinckney ’roun’ heah; I’m sho’ -he bin meckin’ ’mirations at yer. Uh foxhoun’ don’ lub uh fox hunt mo’ -dan de ladies ’roun’ heah lub Mars Pinckney, an’ I heah Mars John -Charles Tilghman say ter ole Mars Nickey, ‘He is ez hainsome ez de son -ub King Dabid-Ab-so-lum, dat got kilt by uh mule.’ Mules wuz ornry in -dem days. Now, how you gwine ter put Talbot County in yo’ mag’zine? You -jes’ tezin’ po’ ole Stephen. You see I’s al’ays libbed wid de qual’ty, -an’ ain’ easy ter fool. Now, you sho’ly ain’ got uh mag’zine?” - -“Indeed I have, dear Uncle Stephen.” - -“Well, what we gwine ter cum ter. Ef’n meh dear ole Missis had ebin seed -one ub huh chillun ridin’ on one ub dem one-wheel t’ings she’d uh tuck -an’ spanked huh an’ kep’ huh in bed fuh two weeks; but ter t’ink ub uh -lubly young mistis like you is, habin’ uh mag-zine—chile, I is libbed -too long. It’s mos’ ez bad ez ghoses an’ witches.” - -“Uncle Stephen, don’t you think I could manage a magazine and put the -nicest sort of stories in it?” - -“Well, den, what good it gwine ter do you? I wish de one dat ’sploded at -Petersbu’g had nuffin in it but stories. Why, honey, it blowed up an’ -kilt fo’ thousan’ mules, an’ I dunno how many millions ub solders, an’ -de good Lawd only nose how many plantations. Is you got uh pa? Well, -chile, you will twiss yo’ po’ pa’s feelin’s sum ub dese days ornless you -stop playin’ wid mag-zines.” - -“Why, Uncle Stephen, you are too old to have been a soldier in the civil -war.” - -“Indeed I wuz, honey, an’ I wuz skeer’d stiff! You see dey tuck me ter -Easton, gib me toddy, ’fused me, an’ ’swaded me ter go. I’s got uh -pension, fuh I drobed uh fo’-hoss mule team fuh six monfs. I didn’ keah -fuh de wah; fac’ is, I kep’ ’way fum de battlefields. I wud uh bin uh -exerter, but wuz fear’d ter ezert! So I jes’ had ter pine fuh ole mars, -ole miss, an’ Sookey. Sookey’s meh wife, an’ she al’ays wid ’em. She use -ter look fuh ole mars’ specks, an’ keep de flies of’n ole miss.” - -“Uncle Stephen, my magazine is a kind of book that comes out every month -and has pretty stories in it, and they tell me that you can tell a -pretty story.” - -“Heh! heh! heh! mistis, I al’ays know’d I wuz uh qual’ty niggah.” - -[Illustration: - - Deah gre’t gran’ mammy gibs ’em too much cawn-bred, an’ hit natchelly - puts noshuns in deah haids. -] - -“So I have brought you a nice bundle of tea, tobacco, and a new straw -hat, for I want you to tell me all about yourself and something about -Talbot County before the war.” - -“Well, I s’pose dey name books arfter mag’zines, kase dey big soun’in’ -t’ings? I’s pow’ful bleeged ter you fuh de tea, ’baccy an’ de hat. I’ll -hab ter teck dis sweet blue ban’ of’n de hat, kase it will skeer de fish -an’ keep ’em fum bitin’. You mus’ be fum de Souf?” - -“No, I am from the North.” - -“Well, you mus’ uh had uh mammy fum de Souf, den.” - -“Maybe, Uncle Stephen. And now tell me something about the Eastern Shore -of Maryland, Talbot County, before the war.” - -“Well, hunny, I cum outin’ uh fambly dat lib wha you see dem tall elm, -hoss chestnut an’ big oak trees. De place name Otwell. I wuz bo’n da—and -so wuz meh fava an’ his fava. Meh fava’s name wuz Phil Demby, an’ Pawson -Demby, de ’stinguis’ Babtis preecher, is meh brudder, an’ name arfter -meh fava. None of my fambly wuz free niggahs, er ’longed ter po’ white -trash. My muvva she named Phillis. Dey called huh Arnt Phillis; an’ she -libbed at Otwell, an’ wuz Mars Nickey’s favorite cook. All de niggahs on -dat plantation slep’ wid sheets on deah beds. Mars Nickey didn’ hab, an’ -he wouldn’ hab no common niggahs. When de oberseers cum ter de po’ch ter -git deah orders, dey al’ays stood wid deah haids unkivvered, rain er no -rain; dey know’d deah place. An’ Chrismus Ole Mars gib all de serbents -toddy, but ef’n dey get tipsy, he whup ’em sho’! Meh muvva, Phillis, wuz -de fus’ cook at Otwell. Chile, she wuz uh cook! but one ub de slow-paced -sort. Nowdays dey cook uh ham in fo’ hours; dem days it tuck meh muvva -two days, an’ dem wuz Mars Nickey’s orders. - -“How-some-eber ev’yt’ing wuz slow in dem days. Dey use ter teck uh gre’t -big silver tank dat hilt boutin uh gallon, er mebby two gallons, an’ -fill it wid mint julip, an’ it had two gre’t big han’les jes’ like ram’s -hohns on de sides. An’ Saul an’ Damon—dey wuz de house serbents—dey meck -de julips (I use ter holp when dey ve’y busy, an’ tase de julip an’ see -ef’n it sweet nuff), an’ when de gemmen cum in fum fox hun’in’, Saul an’ -Damon wud pars ’roun’ de tank; an’ _you kyant tell how slow dey wud -drink fum dat tank_. An’ when dinner time cum it tuck ’em boutin fo’ -hours, sometimes mo’n fo’, an’ sometimes all nite futto eat dinner. Dey -riz bees, an’ dey meck peach brandy, an’ dey drink what you call peach -an’ honey. How cum dey don’ drink peach an’ honey dese days? Why, de -ve’y bref ub it mecks you feel nice. - -“Fo’ de wah all de hom’ny wuz bet in uh gre’t big morter; de hom’ny dey -mecks nowdays is nuffin ter hit. All de wheat wuz cut wid uh cradle, an’ -when dey all in uh row swingin’ deah cradles, sayin’ nuffin an’ lookin’ -so full ub condidence, it remin’ you ub de fus’ ub de flood tide in de -creek—mus’ go on. Uncle Reuben al’ays tuck de haid row. Swing he cradle -same ez Sampson. Steambo’ts cum once uh week dem days, an’ dey tuck all -day ter cum, an’ dey stay all nite, an’ go ’way nex’ mawnin’. Now dey -cum in fo’ hours, an’ fo’ er five uh day. - -“People ebin dance slower dem days; use ter dance de min-e yet. Mars -Tilghman co’tin’ Mis Henrietta, an’ he bow ter huh same ez uh tall -poplar when de win’ blow hyard; an’ ez fuh Miss Henrietta, she jes’ ez -graceful ez uh putty kitten, an’ stylish ez uh unbroken thurrybred colt. -Ef’n de flo’ had uh bin kivverd wid de hunard-leaf roses, an’ she wuz uh -dancin’, she wudn’ mash one. Many uh time, thoo de wintah, I’b seed ’em -dance. I’d bin de haid waitah at ‘Otwell’ ef’n I hadn’ bin so waluble -futto breck de steers an’ colts. Ole Mars’ he had de gre’tes’ confluence -in meh ’rasity, an’ I wuz al’ays ’roun’ de kitchen, kase, ez I befo’ -tole you, meh Muvva Phillis de haid cook. Mam Juby, she de secon’ cook, -and ’sis’ mammy. - -“Why, hunny, ebin de peaches an’ watahmillions wuz bigger dem deys, kase -dey didn’ grow up so fars; dey tuck deah time; an’ ez fuh oysters an’ -fish, why dem days you cud walk out in dat cobe not fudder dan yo’ nees, -an’ git all de oysters you wan’, an’ set rite at dat stake an’ pull in -de fish tell you go ’stracted, an’ de wile ducks quackin’ all ’roun’ -you. Dat’s de stake Leetle Billy wuz uh fishin’ at when de shirk pull -him ove’bode. Leetle Billy wuz uh ornry niggah, al’ays playin’ de -fiddle, mus’rattin’, tellin’ ghose stories, fishinin’ on Sunday, an’ -dancin’. Mo’n dat, he nebber ’longed ter de chuch, an’ it wan’ no use -ter talk ter him. How-some-eber, ev’ybody liked Billy; al’ays peart, -al’ays hab ’baccy in he pocket, an’ gib lib’ly. Billy wuz uh qua’ chap; -he wan’ lazy, but he didn’ lub hyard wuck. Well, he tied he bote at _dat -ve’y stake_, an’ jes’ fuh fun, befo’ de tide tu’n an’ de fish bite, he -put uh gre’t big sorf crab on he hook, flung de bait out, tied de line -’roun’ he leg, tuck his fiddle out an’ ’mence ter play jigs an’ sich -like. Bimeby he wen’ uh sleep, an’ uh shirk cum ’long an’ tuck dat bait, -pulled po’ Billy ove’bode, an’ Billy wen’ uh skeetin’, bobbin’ up an’ -down like uh passel ub ’scovey ducks bavin’ deah sef, an’ prayin’ fas’ -ez he cud git de watah fum he mouf. Billy say he wuz jes’ prayin’ dat de -fiddle wudn’ git los’, but Cap’n Stitchberry sez he nebba heahd uh -moanah pray mo’ pow’ful. Mo’n dat, ef’n Cap’n Stitchberry hadn’ cum -’long in he pungy wid uh load ub oyster shells, an’ kotch Billy when he -wuz fai’ly sailin’ ’long, de shirk wud hab ’stroyed Billy. Mars Innis -Randolph says, ‘Dey kyant tell whedder de niggah wuz uh fishinin’ er de -fish wuz uh niggerin’.’ Dat’s de way people gits talked boutin dat -fishes on Sunday. - -[Illustration: - - I’d bin de haid waitah at “Otwell” ef’n I hadn’ bin so waluble futto - breck de steers an’ colts. Ole Mars had de gret’s confluence in meh - ’rasity. -] - -“Dem days dear ole Mars Nickey had seben sons, an’ dey all wen’ Souf in -de wah; all got kilt ’ceppin’ Mars Pinckney, name arfter uh Bishop, an’ -he wuz de wiles’ an’ de gayes’, an’ he didn’ git uh scratch. Dem chillun -gittin’ kilt, wid _me_ leabin’ Ole Mars, meck him seck an’ breck his -hyart. (’Skuse dese teahs, young mistis!) So he died! Meh pappy Demby -use ter ’long ter Mars Nickey’s fava, an’ dribe de fo’-in-han’ an’ rid’ -’hine in de saddle when Mars Nickey drobe in de gig. Bof ub ’em wuz name -Nickey, an’ he wuz de fif’ Nickey dat wuz bo’n at Otwell. I heah Leetle -Billy say dat he heah Mars Tilghman say dat he heah Mr. Stevens say—de -man dat use ter run Mars Nickey’s win’ mill—dat de fus’ Mars Nickey cum -ober de bay wid uh man name Klumbus, an’ dey ’scover Talbot Kounty. Dat -wuz in de time ub de Petracks. [Patriarchs.] - -“Dem days dey had what you call gigs. ’Cose you nebber saw one ub dem -ole-time gigs. Well, you almos’ had ter git up in ’em wid uh leetle -ladder, dey so tall an’ stylish. Dey wuz fuh two hosses tandy, one in de -shaf’, de udder in de lead. Dat’s de way dey wen’ co’tin’, an’ dey wo’ -silk stockin’s, an’ no pants, ’ceppin’ ter deah knees. Pappy say -ev’ything wuz slow in dem days, ’ceppin’ de race hosses, foxhoun’s, an’ -de young; an’ de ole marsters, dey luck so peart an’ ’squisit’ in deah -silk coats an’ socks, silk all ober, dat de young ladies cudn’ resis’ -’em. Dem days som’times dey had three er four wibes. One mistis hardly -hab de hunnysuccle growin’ ober huh grabe ’fo’ dey git annurr wife. I -had five wibes mehsef. Heh! Heh! Heh! - -“When Pawson Demby, meh brudder, got ’ligion, den I got ’ligion. ’Fo’ -dat I use ter ride race hosses, an’ me an’ Mrs. Rodgers’ Ned, an’ Mars -Nickey’s Big Billy (you see dey had two Billys, an’ dey use ter call one -Big Billy an’ de udder Leetle Billy) use ter play de fiddle, an’ two -waitahs fum Myrtle Grobe, Hesakiah Sprouts an’ John Poney, use ter play -de flute an’ banjo, an’, hunny, people use ter cum fum Kyarline an’ -Qweens Anne’s County futto heah us play, ‘Wha You Gwine, Sistah Sue?’ -‘Rosin de Bow,’ ‘Debbil ’mong de Tailors,’ ‘Yaller Cow,’ an’ sich like. - -[Illustration: - - SCIPIO JONAS JONES AND NIMROD. -] - -“Meh deah chile, I cud tell you heap mo’ ’boutin dem days; but when I -look ober da—Ole Mars’ gone, all de hoss ches’nut, elms an’ poplars (dey -call dem Lombardy poplars) dead—de apple an’ de peach archard ’stroyed -wid age, de cobe wha dey use ter swim de hosses so shaller dat uh kildee -kin wa’k ’cross, an’ wussa yit, de man what wuz wonce uh oberseer -libbin’ in de ole house, how you ’speck I feel? An’ much ez I lub de ole -place, I’s ’fear’d ter go da; fuh dey tell me Leetle Billy plays de -fiddle an’ dances in de yard sometimes, an’ he bin dead six monfs nex’ -harves’. Ef’n I hadn’ preserbation in meh hyart, an’ ’long ter de chuch, -I’d be ’fear’d ter lib heah. Do you ’long ter de chuch? Ef’n you don’ -git salbation rite ’way, den yo’ mag’zine will bloom jes’ like de -blossoms on dem crabapple trees, an’ you will long fuh de chuch jes’ ez -much ez uh hen longs fuh huh los’ chickens. Ef’n I hadn’ jine de chuch -I, tu, mout be uh ghose like po’ Billy—he died fum eatin’ tu much -watahmillion he stole—an’ I mout uh bin wid him. - -“Ef’n Ole Mars wuz libbin’ dem crabapple trees wud hab uh new fence -’roun’ dem. Das wha’ he burried Cicero, he favorite p’inter dog. Hunny, -I will nebber fogit dat name; I recommember it jes’ ez well ez I -recommember yistiddy. All de niggahs in de mansion call him Cis, an’ it -meck Ole Mars ’stracted. He stan’ us all, young an’ ole, leetle an’ big, -Aunt Phillis, tu, all in uh line, befo’ de po’ch, an’ he say: ‘Dem me, -ef’n I don’ sell you all ter Georgy ef’n you don’ stop callin’ dat dog -Cis. He’s uh gre’t dog, an’ name arfter uh gre’t man; I won’ hab it. I -will wuck de plantation wid free niggahs ’fo’ I hab it.’ An’ he tell de -leetle niggahs dey kyant play ’roun’ de po’ch fuh uh monf ef’n dey don’ -learn ter call dat dog Cicero. Den he meck us all say arfter him, -C-i-c-e-r-o, C-i-c-e-r-o, C-i-c-e-r-o—Cicero! - -“When he wuz uh young dog, boutin two year ole, Ole Mars cum fum -partridge shootin’ one day, an’ all de dogs jump out de wagon at de -po’ch ’ceppin’ Cicero; he wuz almos’ tu tired an’ sleepy ter mobe. But -when Mammy Phillis call him he got hongry rite ’way; jump out an’ struck -he haid ’gin de iron scraper dey teck de mud of’n deah boots wid, an’ -kill hissef. Hongry an’ thusty ez Ole Mars wuz, he wep’! An’ he say, ‘I -wan’ you an’ Reubin ter dig uh grabe un’er dem crabapple trees, an’ in -de mawnin’ we will burry him.’ An’ so de nex’ mawnin’ Uncle Reubin an’ I -wuz stan’in’ by de grabe meddowtatin’, an’ heah wuz me, heah wuz Uncle -Reubin, an’ heah wuz Cis. Pres’ny Marster cum an’ put Cis in de grabe, -an’ I thowd uh spade full ub uth on Cis; an’ Uncle Reubin riz up his -haid, an’ he say, ‘Mars Nickey, ain’ you gwine ter say nuffin?’ An’ Mars -Nickey he luck like his hyart wud breck, an’ he say ‘Nuffin, Reubin!’ -Den Uncle Reubin thowd in uh spade full ub uth, lean on he shovel an’ -sorter whispuh like, ‘Den I will say he wuz uh good _ole_ dog!’ - -“Marster’s favorite dogs wuz houn’s; he lub ’em so he nebber low you ter -call uh houn’ uh dog. An’ he had seben hosses dat done nuffin but hunt -ober dem dogs; an’ dey _wuz_ hosses, fuh it tuck uh hoss ub qual’ty ter -kerry him; he wuz uh pow’ful man. Fus’ you read de Bible, hunny, boutin -de time King Dabid wuz all dress up in his new nuniform an’ whup de -Flistins, an’ den teck uh look at Ole Mars’ pictur, you sho’ly wud think -King Dabid favo’d Ole Mars, he so hainsome; an’ Mars Pinckney de ve’y -spit ub him! When Mars Nickey git on he hun’in’ close he glitter jes’ -same ez uh star! Yaller wes’ (yaller wuz he favorite color), no pants -’ceppin’ ter de nees, an’ dey yaller; an’ green welwet cote—bless meh -soul an’ body, an’ meh body an’ soul, he look jes’ like King Solomon -mus’ uh look when he wen’ struttin’ arfter annurr wife. An’ when he blow -he hohn an’ you heah de houn’s moanin’ an’ Jedge Kyarmichael’s, Mars -Lloyd’s, Kun’l Winders, an’ Mars Tilghman’s an’ all de qual’ty dogs -cummin’ troo de cawn fields almos’ nockin’ down de cawn, an’ all ub ’em -carryin’ uh chune, chile you’d almos’ wish yo’sef uh houn’! Yas, indeed, -hunny, dem wuz days futto recommember. An’ sich hosses Ole Mars had; dey -jes’ jump an’ hunt. Da ain’ no hosses dese days like de hosses dem days. -Fuh instinct, like Don Won, Black Nite, Jew-drap, Junius, Fanny Esler, -an’ Sky Lark. Jes’ cum in meh quarter an’ I’ll show de pictur ub dem -hosses. I done lef’ ’em ter Mars Pinckney when I die; you see, I wan’ -ter keep ’em in de fambly. - -“Mars Nickey had he quare ways, tu, jes’ like udder people. Fuh -instinct, he wud nebber lite he cigah fum uh match, al’ays fum uh cole -uh fire, stuck on uh fork; an’ I lub ter tote de fork ter him—sho’ futto -gimmy uh levy. When he shabe he nebber look at uh glass; jes’ wa’k all -’roun’ de room meddowtatin’ an’ shabin’, an’ shabin’ an’ meddowtatin’, -kase he wo’ no whiskus, an’ ’spise uh beard. One time I nebber will -fogit; Mars Jimmy cum fum Woodstock, had his fiddle in de kerridge an’ -wuz full ub peartness. He wuz dribin’ Robbin an’ Red Bird tandy -togedda—jes’ cum futto see he pa—an’ tho’t he wuz ve’y fine wid uh -mustache on he lip. Ole Mars wuz in uh fine umuh, wid uh barsket full ub -mushrooms on he ahms, but when he see dat mustache on Mars Jimmy, he -say, cussin: “You kyant lite tell you cut dat hyah orf.” - -“I recommember one thing mo’ I fogot. Ef you wants ter git uh good view -ub de ribber, an’ be tu fur fum de house ter heah Billy’s fiddle, jes’ -teck dat parf, an’ hit’s uh nice leetle wa’k ter dat grobe ub cedar -trees, an’ when you gits da you will see what’ll s’prise you. Ole -Marster lubbed ev’yt’ing dat wuz good—an’ da’s wha he burried he good -an’ favorite foxhoun’s. I kyant read, but I nose ev’y name on dem -_houn’s toomstone poses_. He nebber done anyt’ing ’dout hit rashnal, an’ -he sho’d dat ’sponsibility when he name he foxhoun’s. Lite-foot wuz uh -booful houn’; neck almos’ ez long ez uh goose’s, an’ sich long, sorf -ears, gre’t big brown eyes, an’ sech uh signifyin’ ’spression ’bout he -haid, dat when he los’ de sent, an’ bay an’ look at de sky, hit made yer -raal sad. He wuz so swif’ an’ nimble dat he skeercely tech de uth, an’ -hardly bresh de jewdraps fum de clober. - -“Chimes had uh tongue dat wuz ez sweet ez uh _martingale’s_, same ez uh -bell. Jefferson wuz uh gran’ feller, white all ober, ’ceppin’ uh yaller -spot on he lef’ side, not much bigger dan uh new moon. He wuz ve’y -stylis’ an’ clean, ’pear’d like he wuz dressup all de time. He wuz ez -brabe ez Mars Pinckney, an’ ez gentle ez uh lam’—’ceppin’ uh _black_ dog -cum ’long; den da wuz trubble. Mars Nickey didn’ like nuffin _black_ -hissef, ’ceppin’ de niggahs, so he ’cided ter hab no mo’ black houn’s er -black sheep on de plantation, all fuh de lub ub _Jefferson_. - -“But Ole Mars had one houn’ he lub mos’; he wan’ so pow’ful fas’, but he -wuz al’ays true. Ef de sent wuz cole, er ef’n it wuz uh los’ sent, you’d -heah ’em say, ‘Wait tell Jerry cum ’long, he will pick it up;’ an’ de -young an’ de ole houn’s had condidence in him, an’ ’spected him. His -name wuz Jerry-Myah, an’ Ole Mars say he gib him dat name kase -Jerry-Myah wuz uh profit.” - - - - - DAT CHRISMUS CAKE. - - - Scipio Jones say dey gwine ter hab uh cake walk - An’ uh hus’in’ Mars John’s cawn—it wuz ev’ybody’s talk, - So dey ’pinted uh cummittee ter ’quire ’bout de cake - Ter be raal sho’ dat Scipio wuz makin’ no mustake. - - He al’ays foun’ out ev’yt’ing, an’ yet he wuz no good, - An’ ef’n he tried ter tell de truf, wuz nebber ondastood; - Fuh de ghoses an’ de witches he lubbed ter talk erbout - Wuz al’ays in de cow’s hohns when udder people out. - - De cummittee went uh ’quirin’ an’ dey foun’ dat Sistuh Chew - Had tole de plum-cake secret ter only one er two; - An’ Scipio he lis’en while she milk de cows an’ say - Dat Mistis gwine ter meck uh cake dat’s walked fuh Chrismus Day. - - So Mistis mixed de Chrismus cake an’ fill it full ub plums, - An’ Scipio look in de stobe an’ stuck in it his thum’s. - De heat wuz so ornple’sant an’ bu’n dat roscal so - He scream an’ cry, “Aunt Phillis cool de thum’s ub Scipio.” - - When Mistis saw de Chrismus cake an’ heahd ’bout dem thum’s - She say, “Dat niggah Scipio shan’t ebin hab de crum’s;” - An’ when dat walk wuz ober you cud see rite on he face— - Don’ stick yo’ thum’s in plum cake an’ git yo’sef disgrace. - - Da ain’ no use ub talkin’; it’s al’ays out ub place - Ter stick yo’ thum’s in anyt’ing ter ebin git uh tase— - Ornless you bin inwited, an’ den it’s al’ays bes’ - Ter wait an’ hab cool fingahs an’ eat wid all de res’. - - - - - WHEN SAUL RUN ERWAY. - - -Miss Marg’retta wuz ve’y fon’ ub Saul, an’ when he run erway hit ’stress -huh pow’ful. Uh showman cum ’long wid uh circus an’ ’swaded po’ Saul ter -go. Miss Marg’retta teach him ter read an’ rite, kase da wuz -recommembrances clustah’d ’roun’ Saul’s mammy dat made Miss Marg’retta -fon’ ub de chile. Lars’ week I had uh lettah fum de po’ boy, rote fum -Balt’mo’. Mars Pinckney red hit fuh me, an’ hit say dat when de circus -got ter Balt’mo’ de showman sot him ter wuck feedin’ de snakes. Saul’s -letter spressify dat he lef’ dat circus in uh run! Saul al’ays wuz -smart. He! He! He! Ef’n he had fed dem snakes, he mite bin ’flicted like -Uncle Snake-bit Jim. - -Arfter uh few days Saul say he got de place ub waitah on uh tugboat; uh -nice place, but de lettah say he wuz so sad an’ lonesom’ he wuz mos’ -dead. (’Skuse meh cryin’, Muhtilda.) He say he misses de ribber so—de -cluckin’ hens, crowin’ roostus, de calbes moanin’ fuh deah ma’s, de -sweet little skippin’ lam’s an’ de singin’ birds—but he say he mos’ miss -Mars Nickey’s houn’s, an’ dat he will nebber refuse ter hunt fuh hens’ -nesses fuh he aunty ef’n he kin git home, but he sho’ Ole Mars won’ let -his foot tech Woodstock. - -Fus’ I tho’t ub gwine ter Ole Mistis, but she so sad I ’cided not ter -trubble huh. Muhtilda, she will nebber git ober de deaf ub Mars Francis. -Ev’y day befo’ he died she teck uh barsket on huh ahm, pahr cissers in -huh han’, an’ go ter de gyarden befo’ de jewdraps of’n de flowers, an’ -wid dem cissers she wud cut wiolets, heal’trope, ’benas, sweet-lizziums, -roses an’ udder sweet flowers, tell de barsket full. Den Mistis wud meck -’em in bokays, an’ meck me ty ’em wid lamp wick. You see hit’s sorf, an’ -don’ squench de flowers. Dem days I had ter put one ub de bokays in ev’y -room, but dese days she don’ hab no bokays; jes’ puts all dem flowers -ev’y mawnin’ on Mars Francis’ grabe. - -Whenebber I tho’t ub po’ Saul meh hyart got sick; ’pears ter me ’twuz -sick all de time. So I wa’k up an’ down de gyarden prayin’ sorf ter -mehsef, thinkin’ an’ thinkin’, so I ’cluded ter see Ole Mars, an’ bine -meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars erboutin Saul. He -wuz gwine fox huntin’, wuz settin’ in de hall, Damon wuz puttin’ on he -spuhs, when I wa’k in, made uh curchysy an’ cummenc’ ter cry an’ limp. -Ole Mars lif’ up he hainsome face an’ say: - -“Well, Sookey, what’s de matter?” - -[Illustration: - - So I bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars boutin - Saul. -] - -I say, “I heahd fum Saul; it meck me so ’stressed an’ po’ly, Marster. He -say he so rejected an’ lonesom’, dat his hyart mos’ breck. He wan’ ter -cum home.” - -Den Marster cuss an’ say: “Wha de scan’lus scoun’l at?” - -An’ I say wid meh hankcheah ter meh eyes, “Balt’mo’.” - -Den Ole Marster say: “Sookey, Saul’s muvva Nancy (yo’ sistah) wuz uh -splendid ’ooman; nuss’d yo’ Miss Marg’retta when she had de scarlet -fevah. Saul wuz uh baby, an’ she mos’ fogot Saul, she wuz so faithful -ter yo’ Miss Marg’retta.” - -Den I say: “’Zac’ly so, precisely, Marster!” - -Den he say: “Nancy kotch de fevah an’ died; yo’ Miss Marg’retta wuz so -’stracted she mos’ ’dopted dat chile—tech him ter read an’ rite.” Den -Mars Nickey cuss ergin an’ say: “Eddication mecks niggahs bad!” - -Den I say: “So hit do, Marster, so hit do; fuh hit sut’ny meck Saul bad. -Fuh he wuz riz so careful. Miss Marg’retta ebin bo’t him uh nanny-goat -fuh uh wet nuss, an’ dey got so fon’ one nerr dat when Saul wud tottle -outin de quartah de goat wud ’mejately nanny, twinkle huh little tail -jes’ like uh aspine leaf, run up ter de chile, an’ he wud set un’er dat -goat, nuss huh hissef, an’ pat he han’s on de goat’s sides. It mecks me -think ub yo’ son Mars Francis what died. I nuss him tell he so big he -hab teef. When he wuz horngry he wud run up ter me same ez uh little -lam’, pat meh bresses when he nussin’, same ez Saul did de goat’s sides, -an’ sometimes when he feel sassy—mos’ got ernuff (jes’ playin’ wid de -milk)—he wud bite me. An’ many uh time I had ter smack him hyard; an’ -den his brite eyes, brite ez uh fish-hawk’s, but big an’ sorf, wud fill -up wid teahs. Den he wud git in meh lap, pat meh ole face an’ say, -‘Mammy! Mammy!’ play wid an’ put he fingah froo meh earring, jes’ ez -gentle an’ lubbin ez uh cherrypin er serrypin. My! he little fingah jes’ -ez smoobe ez de inside ub uh oyster shell. Den I sing, ‘Git on bode, -little chillun.’ Den he go ter sleep, an’ he bref on meh cheek jes’ ez -sorf ez de down on uh goslin’.” Den I say, “Mars Nickey, he wuz de ve’y -spit ub you!” - -Den Mars Nickey teck out his silk hankcheah, wipe he weepin’ eye, -trem’lin mouf, an’ he say, “Sookey, teck uh seat!” - -Jes’ think ub meh settin’ down befo’ Ole Mars! Den he teck uh pinch ub -snuff, th’ow some on de flounces ub he shut, call Damon an’ say, “Bring -me some peach an’ honey!” - -Den he say: “I will ’struct Cap’n Stitchberry, de fus’ time de Margaret -Jane sails fuh Balt’mo’, futto bring Saul home, but he kyant lib heah -wid meh good an’ faithful serbents; he got ter lib at ‘Fausley,’ drap -cawn, plough—be wuf sompin’. Kyant hab any mo’ boots. Tho’ Nancy wuz his -mother, got ter weah shoes; I only gib de bes’ serbents boots!” - -Muhtilda, I jes’ natchelly swep’ de flo’ wid meh curchysys, I feel so -thankful. An’ when I lef’ I say: “Meh Marster, yo’ mo’ an’ mo’ like Mars -Francis ev’y day; same brite eyes, like uh fish-hawk’s, but sorf an’ -big!” - -Den Ole Mars teck nubba pinch ub snuff, dust he shut flounces wid it, -cut hissef on de leg wid he ridin’ whup an’ say: “Sookey, I change meh -mine; when Saul cum back he kin wuck in de gyardin wid yo’ husban’, -Stephen.” - -When I wen’ out de do’ da wuz Cap’n Stitchberry stan’in’ befo’ de steps -wid he haid orncover’d waitin’ fuh his orders fum Mars Nickey; Stephen -wuz holdin’ Sylph, Marster’s favorite mare; Music, Jerry-Myah, -Sweet-lips, Jefferson, Chimes, an’ all de res’ ub de houn’s (Ole Mars -wudn’ let you call ’em dogs) wuz playin’ erroun’ Stephen, chunin’ up, -an’ Sylph wuz almos’ crazy fuh Ole Mars ter git in de saddle—she jes’ -scorn de yearth when she gallopin’ an’ cud almos’ jump ober de moon. -Well, I felt ez prowd an’ happy ez Sylph an’ de houn’s did, kase, -Muhtilda, ev’ything look’d lubly ter me. So I meck up meh mind I ain’ -gwine ter scold Stephen any mo’—he did look so peart, holdin’ Sylph wid -uh yaller wes’ Ole Marster jes’ gib him. But what meck me mos’ happy, I -heahd de wabes moanin’, I luck at de ribber, an’ da wuz de Margaret Jane -wid huh sails sot, jes’ prancin’. I knew’d what dat signify—so hit won’ -be long befo’ Saul cum back. - -Saul sing songs, play de hohn dat Little Billy gib him, wid locks an’ -keys, dances, too. How-some-eber, hit’s jes’ what de qual’ty do; but da -ain’ nuffin wichious erboutin Saul, an’ I sut’ny has miss him pow’ful. -Da ain’ uh houn’ on dis place dat ain’ look sad sence Saul lef’. When -dey cum home wid deah sore feet, ears an’ legs all scratch up, full ub -briars, Saul, ’doutin Ole Mars habin’ ter tell him ev’y day, biles uh -pot ub squaw-root, baves dem houn’s feet an’ legs, an’ you kin see dem -settin’ ’roun’ waitin’ fuh deah turn. - -Heah cum Ole Miss now; look at dem chickins an’ de cows all lookin’ at -huh—ub cose meckin’ mirations ter deahsebs erbout huh. Dat lady behin’ -wid uh barsket on huh ahm an’ all dem keys on huh ap’on strings, is Miss -Betsey Orsman, de housekeeper. Dey bin ter kivver all dat grabe ub Mars -Francis wid flowers—’ceppin’ de toomstone. De vusses on hit ev’y serbent -in dis house has larnt. Think ub dat! - -“Kyant you say ’em, Aunt Sookey?” - -“Yas, indeed, chile, dat I kin; but I will arsk Miss Betsey arfter Ole -Miss gits by. Honey, she’s uh ’citer; she jes’ gibs huhsef up ter glory -when she speechifyin’. I will ax huh kase she likes ter say it. - -“Miss Betsey, will you say dem vusses what’s on Mars Francis’ -toomstone?” - -“Why, certainly, Sookey; now listen good: - - “The seasons as they fly, - Snatch from us in their course, year after year - Some sweet connection, some endearing tie. - The parent, ever honored, ever dear, - Claims from the filial breast the pious sigh; - A brother’s urn demands the filial tear, - And gentle sorrows gush from friendship’s eye. - To-day we frolic in the rosy bloom - Of jocund youth—to-morrow knells us to the tomb.” - -“Miss Betsy is an ole maid, Muhtilda. De reason she’s wa’kin’ fum us so -slow is kase she’s meddowtatin’. Dey tell me dat one time Cap’n -Stitchberry wuz in lub wid huh, but he gib huh up kase she tu fon’ ub -vusses; an’ he tell Mars Pinckney dat she lubbed him tu much. She’s ve’y -fon’ ub Mars Pinckney, an’ don’ mine his teasin’, so de udder day he -tole huh— - - “Da nebber wuz uh goose so gray but soon er late - Wud fine some wan’rin’ gander fuh uh mate.” - -“Now, wan’ dat sassy? - -“Saul wuz pow’ful fon’ ub cracklin’-pone wid mullasses, an’ I gwine dis -minit futto meck uh pone fuh dat po’ boy. I’s bin watchin’ de ribber all -de mawnin’. It wudn’ s’prise me ef’n de Margaret Jane cum in de ribber -befo’ de sun sot; so don’ you go home, Muhtilda. Den I will sen’ fuh -Little Billy futto tell us some stories; Susan fum Mars Carroll’s is -cummin ober—ub cose Ezra Viney will keep comp’ny wid huh; an’ lars’, but -not leas’, Stephen got three dozen sorf crabs, six watahmillions an’ two -ole hens I kilt yistiddy dat had stopped layin’. So we will hab uh happy -time eben ef’n Saul don’ cum ter night. - -“Dar’s Billy now, talkin’ ter Juba Viney; got his banjo hung ’roun’ his -neck. Dem’s mus’rat hides he’s got tied ’roun’ his wais’; gwine ter Mage -Rudd’s sto’, I ’specks. O—h, Billy; we are ’speckin’ Saul dis eb’nin’. -Kyant you cum ober, sing us some songs an’ play us some chunes arfter -Stephen goes ter set his net? He rejects ter you bein’ so pus-nal wid de -witches;[11] ain’ fogib you yit fuh gittin’ up’n dat ’simmon tree an’ -sassin’ Uncle Caesar Butler.”[12] - -Billy knew Aunt Sookey would have something good for supper, and knew -that she doted on Saul, so he soon turned up at her quarters, and -quickly asked for Uncle Stephen, whom he knew would not welcome him. - -“Da he is, jes’ paddlin’ his boat fum de sho;” responded Aunt Sookey. -“Gwine ter set his net.” - -Billy smelt the frying crabs, and asked in apparent ignorance: “Is you -had supper, Aunt Sookey?” - -“No indeed, honey; de lard jes’ cummenc’ ter bile.” - -“Well, den, I will sing uh new chune I jes’ larnt, while de table -gittin’ sot: - - “On Tom-big-bee ribber so fair I wuz bawn, - In uh hut made ub leabes ub de tall yaller cawn; - An’ dar I fus’ met wid meh Ju-la so true, - An’ I row’d huh erbout in meh gum-tree canoe, - Singin’ row away row, o’er de watahs so blue, - Like uh feather we’ll float, in meh gum-tree canoe. - - “Wid meh hands on de banjo an’ toe on de oar, - I sing ter de soun’ ub de ribber’s sorf roar; - While de stars dey look down at meh Ju-la so true, - An’ dance in huh eye in meh gum-tree canoe. - Singin’ row away row, o’er de watahs so blue, - Like uh feather we’ll float, in my gum-tree canoe.” - -“Billy, dat’s lubly; kyant you sing jes’ one mo’ song befo’ I puts de -butter on dese sorf crabs?” - -“Yes’m!” - - “Sometimes I libs on de fat ub de lan; - Sometimes I libs on de lean; - An’ when I gits meh day’s wuck done - I sweeps de kitchen clean. - Den heah meh true lub weep, - Heah meh true lub sigh, - Way down in Callio - Dis niggah’s bawn ter die.” - -“I kyant sing an nerr vus, Aunt Sookey, kase I so horngry, an’ I kyant -stay tu long kase I ain’ sot meh mus’rat gums yit, an’ I bleege ter go -ter de sto’ futto sell dese hides. Mo’n dat, Mars Pinckney gwine fox -hun’in’ de fus’ thing in de mawnin’ long befo’ de sun up.” - -Billy ate heartily, and the _jamboree_ was broken up by the incoming of -Uncle Stephen. Billy, to be very polite to Uncle Stephen, whom he knew -did not like him, said: “Uncle Stephen, I jes’ watch you all _day_ long -yistiddy ketchin’ oysters; you sut’ny kin ketch oysters.” - -Uncle Stephen leaned wearily on his paddle and said: “Y-a-s, Billy! Ef’n -I wuz uh chicken you wud watch me all _night_!” - -Billy soon departed, and when he was well into the darkness, twanged his -banjo and sang: - - “I ain’ no tukkey buzzard, - I ain’ no saint; - I ain’ no tukkey buzzard, - So glad I aint.” - -[Illustration: - - BLACK CREEK FALLS. -] - - - - - “LET US MECK BRICK.” - - -Sistus, brudders an’ chillun: Pawson Demby wuz ’specially ’quested futto -prech at de gre’t bushmeetin’ gwine on in Bolingbrook Neck, an’ dey sent -up uh _fo’-hoss-mule team_ an’ kyart fuh him lars’ night. He ’quested me -futto say ter de congation dat he wanted yo’ pray’rs fuh de gre’t cause -he gwine ter prech erbout, an’ he also qualify me ter say his tex’ will -be fum de book ub Deutron’my, 22d chaptah, 10th vus: “Thou shalt not -plough wid uh ox an’ uh ass togedda.” - -Some free niggahs ’long de Choptank dat cum fum Henraccah County, -Firginny, is ploughin’ wid uh mule an’ uh ox, an’ hit’s stressin’ de -Babtis’ ’roun’ de ribba pow’ful, kase hit’s sech uh wiolation ub de -Scripturs. - -De witches in Haylan’ Branch is keepin’ uh good many sistus fum cummin’ -ter de chuch Sunday nights. De c’lections consequationly is so small I -is ’fraid we kyant git de kyarpet fuh de pulpit by Chrismus; but ev’y -little bit helps, ef’n hit’s only uh rabbit’s foot, kase dey will sell -at de festival fuh 6 cents uh dozen. - -Ez I ain’ had uh ve’y long notice, meh discose dis ebinin’ will be -breef. You will fine meh tex’ in de book ub Gen’sis, 11th chaptah, thud -vus: - - “LET US MECK BRICK.” - -Den, ergin, de fif’ chaptah ub Exodus, all ub de sebinth vus: “Ye shall -no mo’ gib de people straw ter meck brick, ez heahtofo’; let dem go an’ -gavva straw fuh demsebs.” - -You all recommember dat Mars Nickey say lars’ New Year Day dat ef’n his -serbents, young an’ ole, ’habe demsebs well fuh uh hole yeah he gwine -ter build ’em uh little brick chuch. Well, de serbents is bin monstus -good fuh uh hole yeah, ’skusin’ Little Billy, an’ he so curisome Marster -don’ mine him. ’Sides, he muvva Nancy nuss Mars Pinckney. So arfter de -cawn wuz hus’in’ Mars Nickey tole me an’ Reubin ter go ter de clay bank -an’ meck boutin fifty thousan’ bricks, an’ dey wud be uh plenty ter -build uh chuch dat wud hab uh real top-lofty pulpit, uh moaners’ corner, -an’ hole boutin two hun’erd serbents. Mars John Chamberlain, Mars Tench -Tilghman, Mars Samuel Dickinson holp ter buy de shingles an’ furnachy. - -Wuckin’ dat clay (an’ Moses wud hab praised dat clay), meckin’ an’ -haulin’ dem bricks ter dat lubly cedar grove, made me think ub dis tex’ -night an’ day, an’ I is wanted fuh uh yeah ter preach on dis gre’t -subjec’. - -I see some dear sistus heah fum Queen Anne’s. I s’pose you cum ober ter -de bushmeetin’ in Oxford Neck, so I wan’ you ter ondastan what uh -’squisite spot Cedar Grove is fuh uh brick chuch, befo’ I git fudda wid -meh spressifications boutin bricks. - -Sistus, da is uh little creek called Peach Blossom. De fus’ peach seed -dat cum ter Amer’ca wuz fotch ober an’ planted ’long Peach Blossom -Creek, Mars Pinckney say, erbout de time Klumbus ’skivered Amer’ca; -dat’s why hit’s called Peach Blossom. De same man fotch ober some apple -seed, an’ de apples wuz named arfter him, Catlin apples. - -Peach Blossom is erboutin uh harf mile long an’ uh hun’erd ya’ds wide, -an’ empties inter Fausley Creek. De watah is fum five ter eight feet -deep, de bottom ez clean ez de deck ub Cap’n Stitchberry’s schooner, de -Margaret Jane, sandy, an’ ez hyard ez uh mule’s haid, but you kyant see -de bottom ’ceppin heah an’ heah, kase da’s wha Mars Nickey got he -oysters bedded, an’ da’s wha Uncle Stephen sets Mars Nickey’s net, -ketches de spot, hogfish an’ pan rock dat cums in dat creek ter feed -ober de oysters, an’ den ter meddowtate. Mos’ at de haid ub de creek is -uh proud-lookin’ grove ub cedars; ’mong dem cedars is _twenty cedar -toomstone poses_, wha Ole Mars burried he good an’’ favorite houn’s, an’ -da’s wha de new Zion Chuch gwine ter be swottuated. - -Belubbed, da nebber wuz uh mo’ ’chantin’ creek! On hits banks grows -lubly trees, fum de sas’fras an’ dogwood ter de gre’t elms, walnut an’ -poplar trees. Sistuh Cassey, befo’ she died had uh cabin at de haid ub -de creek; de honeysuckle an’ wile rose seeds strayed fum huh house all -’long de banks ub dat creek, an’ now de honeysuckle an’ wile roses -blooms an’ clustus ’roun’ one nerr day an’ night—hit’s uh heb’nly spot. -Hit don’ matter how de win’ blow, ef’n you paddle yo’ skiff in Peach -Blossom Creek hit’s so cam, quiet an’ shady you kin heah de little jinny -wrens, sparrows an’ crickets singin’. De watah looks so smove an’ happy -when de tide go out an’ when de tide cum in, dat it al’ays mecks me -think ub Ole Miss’ face; fac’ is, you jes’ wanter set down an’ muse, an’ -you won’er why all erligeons ain’ de Babtis in Talbot County, ter wash -deah sins erway in Peach Blossom. But I mus’ tu’n ter de application. - -Little Billy wucked two days dribin’ uh ox team, den ub cose he got -tired. Mammy Nancy ’quested me ter arsk you all ter pray fuh him arfter -de doxol’gy; he is ve’y bad. Ef’n Mars Nickey knew’d what he say he’d -whup him sho’; kase he say Mars Nickey wud hab built dat chuch, good er -bad niggahs; dat he tole him all dat he wanted him ter do wuz ter see -ezactly wha de bricks wuz drapped, an’ ter be sho’ none ub dem bricks -wuz drapped ergin dem _houn’ cedar pos’ toomstones_. Billy fudda -spressify dat he bleebe de chuch wuz gwine ter be uh kind ub monumen’ -ter he good an’ faithful houn’s an’ good an’ faithful serbents. - -[Illustration: - - Ole Miss, when sweet sixteen, going to dance the minuet. -] - -Meh brudderin, I hab now laid de foundation. So I wan’ you fus’ ter -persidder de pictur on de face ub dat lubly clock; befo’ she strike -ergin I am gwine ter tell you who de fus’ brickmakers wuz, an’ how dey -cum ter meck bricks. - -Way down in Egyp’ lan’ long time befo’ Klumbus ’skivvered Talbot County, -da wuz uh king named Fario. He wuz uh gre’t man, an’ you kin ’magin’ -what style he lib in fum de fac’ he had six hun’erd wibes, two chariots -fuh each wife, an’ dey nebber is bin able ter fine out ezactly how many -hosses, mules, jackasses, steers, cows, sheep, goats an’ serbents he -had; an’ he had so much ter meck him peart dat he got ter be uh ve’y -wile man. Well, dis king had uh lubly daughter, de apple ub he mouf an’ -de ve’y spit ub de king. She had uh nice ’scluded little ribba (I specks -it wuz mos’ ez putty ez Fausley Creek) futto bave in; she likewise had -fo’ er five hun’erd han’maids, an’ all longed ter de qual’ty. De Bible -call ’em damsels. I think hit’s uh good name fuh maids dese days, -’skusin’, ub cose, free niggahs. Well, de narration say dat Miss Fario -wen’ down ter de ribba wid huh damsels futto bave. Dey wuz orndressin’ -huh, ten maids wuz teckin’ de rings of’n huh ten fingahs, two mo’ maids -wuz teckin’ huh earrings out, an’ uh nubba teckin’ de _earrings_ outin -huh nose. (All de qual’ty wo’ rings in deah noses dem days.) Jes’ ez she -erboutin orndress—you see dey didn’ ware no bavin’ suits in de time ub -de Petracks, an’ bad ez de men wuz dey didn’ bave wid de ladies; so da -wuz sut’ny no mails ’roun’, ’ceppin’ uh monstus fine baby boy three -monfs ole, dat wuz kivverd up wid bullrushes, an’ ’rapped in flags (I -s’pose de flags wuz some ole sorf battle-flags)—well, jes’ ez de king’s -daughter put huh little feets in de watah ter see ef’n it tu cole, she -heah uh chile cry. She jumped back relarmed, an’ say ter huh maids, -“What’s dat?” Den she look in de bullrushes, an’ lo an’ beholst, da wuz -uh cutesome lookin’ cradle wid flags ’roun’ hit (Is’lite flags, I -s’pose), an’ uh baby fairly harkin’; he cryin’ so. - -Hit is s’pose by narrationists dat de ma ub de chile got de frog fright, -kase frogs wuz so thick, an’ gittin’ thicker, dat dey wuz in de -kitchens, smoke houses, parlors, tubs, cookin’ ubbins, an’ in de beds; -so de chile’s ma meck uh sort ub deck-ober cradle ub mud, tar, pitch an’ -beeswax, dat made hit frog-proof, an’ da’s wha dey sho’ly foun’ de baby. -Pres’ny Miss Fario saw uh ooman stan’in’ neah by, so she say, “Is you de -muvva ub dis chile?” She say, “Yes’m!” Miss Fario say, “Cum heah an’ -nuss dis chile right ’way an’ I’ll pay you ter be de chile’s mammy. I’m -gwine ter ’dopt him; he uh monstus fine chile. ’Sides I want something -futto caress; an’ ez I foun’ him in de watah, I’m gwine ter gib him de -lubly name ub Moses, kase de Bible say in Egyp’ lan’ Moses is de name -fuh watah.” - -Bimeby he grow’d up ter be uh gre’t man, an’ wuz ve’y friendly wid de -Petracks. Pres’ny you will see de application. - -Well, de king say ter de Petracks, “We is gwine ter hab uh gre’t famin’, -kase de frogs, locusses an’ grasshoppus is uh carryin’ on high.” So dey -all ’cided ter buy all de cawn dat wuz riz dat yeah. Pres’ny heah cum de -famin’, sho’ nuff; den de Gyptian farmers an’ sheppards cum ter Joseph. -Dey say, “Joseph, we horngry; we ain’ got no cawn!” Joseph right ’way -say, “I’s got plenty cawn!” So dey buy uh plantation ub cawn, an’ Joseph -teck de money ter de King, an’ de King he hab uh gay time ober dat money -ub de Is’lites. - -Now, strange ter say, wid all de hosses, chariots, foxhoun’s, an’ I -’specks, fine coon dogs dat dey could wusship, an’ wid deah wissum tu -(kase Mars Pinckney say dey knew’d mo’n we do)—fuh all dat dey wusship -crockdiles (why, de Bible say King Solomon had six hun’erd wibes an’ -three hun’erd _crockdiles_; jes’ think ub dat!), el’phants, ants, bulls, -butterflies, grasshoppus, frogs, an’ I dunno what not, an’ dey didn’ -keer no mo’ fuh one ooman dan uh man keer fuh uh yaller-jacket’s nes’. -Yas, indeed; dey wusship ’mos’ ev’ything ’ceppin’ uh damsel. Dey had -drobes ub wibes, but dey didn’ hab no condidence in deah wibes. Why, -ef’n dey hab uh composation ebin wid uh Pawson, dem Kings an’ Judges wud -’mejately hab deah haids cut orf. - -Well, hit cum ter pars in erboutin uh yeah dem po’ Is’lites cum back ter -de Petracks mo’ horngry dan ebba, an’ tell deah tale ub ’stress. Dey -say, “We ain’ got no money; we spend hit all fuh cawn. Our fodder is all -’zausted, so we fotch our cattle; we will gib dese cattle fuh cawn. So -Joseph count de cattle an’ teck ’em fuh cawn. Now, dat’s two yeahs ub de -famine. Dar’s five mo’ yit.” - -Well, hit cum ter pars uh yeah arfter dat dey cum ergin an’ dey say, “We -ain’ got uh _cent dis time_, an’ no cattle; how-some-eber, we mus’ hab -cawn; we kyant lib ’dout hit. So dey gib all deah plantations. So King -Fario own all Egyp’ lan’, an’ he carry on higher still, jes’ scan’lus, -ve’y mischevious, kase he own mos’ ez many plantations ez Ab’ham.” - -Brudderin, uh yeah went by, an’ heah cum dem po’ horngry sheppards an’ -farmers ergin. Dey say, “We almos’ starbed we so horngry.” King Fario -say “What you got ter gimmy, now?” An’ dey say, “Nuffin ’ceppin’ our -bodies, futto be yo’ slabes.” - -Moses wuz uh gre’t man, ve’y gre’t man (he nuss wuz uh cullud pusson), -so he look on all de time, stroked his whiskus, leaned on dat cutesome -rod ub his’n an’ didn’ say nuffin, jes’ meddowtate an’ muse, muse an’ -meddowtate. Now, Moses natch’ly felt po’ly kase he had kilt uh Gyptian -de day befo’ fuh kickin’ uh Is’lite, one ub he people. Pres’ny heah cum -King Fario, dribin’ fo’ jack-asses in uh chariot he had jes’ bought wid -sum ub his cawn money. Little Billy say he read somewha in de Bible dat -King Fario shuck han’s wid Moses, an’ say ter him in uh whispuh: - -“Moses, I’m gwine ter teck all dem Gyptians ez slabes. Dar’s such uh -drouf, so many frogs, locusses an’ grasshoppus, da ain’ no use ter set -’em at wuck in de fiel’s, so I’m gwine ter meck ’em wuck hyard fuh dat -cawn. I wan’ at leas’ uh harf million sot ter wuck dis day, but what dey -gwine ter do? Dat’s de consequation! Dar’s uh gre’t deman’ fuh bricks -ev’ywha, but meh clay ain’ ve’y good.” - -Den Moses riz up his rod, gib it uh twiss, an’ cunjured dat rod. Den dey -had uh little serpent dance, an’ while dey wuz uh dancin’ Moses say, -“You got ’bun’ance ub straw, an’ ef’n de straw gib out you got plenty ub -stubble.” King Fario say, “Uh case orntried is hyard ter justify.” Den -Moses gib he rod nubba twiss (Little Billy say dat de rod wuz made outin -witch hazel wood), an’ he spressify, “I’s foun’ out uh way ter meck -bricks ’doutin straw!” An’ right ’way dem po’ slabes wuz sot ter -brick-meckin’. - -“Let us meck brick.” - -Den arfter dey bin meckin bricks ’boutin two hun’erd yeah hit cum ter -pars dat de profit Ex-o-dus said, “Ye shall no mo’ gib de people straw -ter meck bricks, ez heahtofo’; let ’em go an’ gavva straw fuh demsebs.” - -Brudderin, when you gib bricks uh _solid_ thought hit’s uh pow’ful -subjec’. Fac’ is, we is all bricks, an’ made fum de same clay. I is not -spressifyin’ de application ter straw bricks, kase I dunno how dey is -turnt ter clay. - -Bricks is our house futto dwell in an’ wusshup in while we libbin’, an’ -our house in de groun’ tell de day cum when de gre’t Marster blow He -hohn an’ we stan’ befo’ uh gate finah dan any King Sol’man ebba had. -Belubbed, is you gwine ter try an’ swing on dat gate? [A voice: “Yas, -Lawd!”] an’ be da ter heah St. Peter say “Heah cum meh chillun; lemmy -call deah names.” Brudderin, sistus an’ little chillun, will he call yo’ -names? - -Tilly Mink: “Brer Rasmus, I’m mos’ swingin’ on dat gate now!” - -Well, den, meck dat boy Scipio Jones, settin’ ’side you, teck dat -sweet-tater harness orf, an’ dat piece ub sheep rib outin his mouf, he -chawin’, fuh uh bit. - -At de lars camp meetin’ uh ve’y ’stinguish’ Babtis’ pawson said he wuz -s’prised dat de lubly daughter ub King Fario merried King Sol’mon, uh -man dat wusshup’d frogs, bulls, el’phants an’ crock’diles fuh pets. My -’pinion is she fell in lub wid dat _brick_ house ub de King’s, dat de -Bible say had two thousan’ baf tubs, an’ teck thutteen yeah ter buil’. -Den, ergin, de bricks wuz laid in gole. King Fario’s daughter cudn’ -resis’ uh house like dat, an’ I don’ think ’twuz hyard ter ondastan’. -Huh merryin’ de King, dafo’, wuz uh subjec’ dat wuz rash-nal. - -When we gittin’ our heb’nly trunk packed, an’ when we trabblin’ up ter -St. Peter’s gait, I kin see Uncle Reubin, Aunt Phillis, Uncle Stephen, -Aunt Sookey, Rasmus Jemes, Damon Danridge, Pawson Phil Demby an’ Mammy -Nancy trottin’ ’long de road in de beauty ub holiness, goin’ ter St. -Peter’s gait an’ longin’ ter git deah han’s on de gait futto ring dat -bell. An’ I kin see Little Billy (be sho’ an’ pray fuh him, Sistus; ef’n -coons, ’possums, fiddles an’ banjos had nebba ’zisted, he wudn’ be uh -sinnah)—yas, I kin see Little Billy stan’in’ wid Jasper pullin’ dat bell -tell he mos’ breck de wire, an’ pester St. Peter so dat he say, “Who dat -tryin’ ter breck meh bell?” Den de bell wen’ jing-uh-ling ergin! Den St. -Peter ’mejately stuck he lubly haid ober de gate an’ say, “Gwuffum heah, -Little Billy; you ain’ bin ’nointed. Yon got ter lib wid dem you likes -ter keep cump’ny wid; fuh instinc’, witches, ghoses, jack-uh-ma-lanterns -an’ de chillun in de wilderness ub Zip!” You kin ’magine how po’ Billy’s -face look—much mo’ sadder dan Scip Jones’ look at de cake-walk lars’ -Chris’mus; an’ when St. Peter smile same ez uh serrypin an’ say, “Heah -cum meh chillun; walk in de watah, fuh hit’s al’ays wahm; let me babtiz -you in de golden ribba,” Billy wuz so ’stressed dat he kicked Jasper an’ -say, “Hit’s all yo’ fault; ef’n you wan’ sech uh good coon dog I’d nebba -bin led ’stray.” - -Now, dis will cum ter pars: When St. Peter sees Aunt Phillis an’ Uncle -Reubin cummin’ ’long he will say, jes’ ez sho’ ez judgmen’ day is -cummin’, “Cherrypins an’ serrypins, an’ Ham, de cullud son ub Noahy, -bresh de dust fum two ub de bes’ seats in de Lawd’s kitchen fuh dem two -saints, an’ tell ’em we gwine ter hab uh festibal!” I wan’ Ham ter set -’long side you an’ pint out Samuel de fus’, an’ secon’, Moses, King -Dabid, King Fario, Zackeus de climber, an’ lars’, but not leas’, Ho Ho, -an’ you’ll see fum he habin’ whiskus he ain’ no Chine er Japne. Den de -profit Noahy will renounce dat King Dabid an’ he son, King Sol’mon, -gwine ter sing uh jewette togedda—King David, ub cose, playin’ on his -hyarp ub uh thousan’ strings; an’ I ’specks dat sweetes’ son ub Noahy, -Ham, will play de banjo. Bless meh soul an’ body, an’ meh body an’ soul, -belubbed, what uh festibal hit will be! Sistus, I kin see ’em all. - -Tilly Mink: “Yas, Brer Rasmus, all clustah’d ’roun’ de pul-pit.” - -John Poney: “Kin you see me, Brer Rasmus?” - -No; I am lis’nin’ ter ’em talk. Dear little Jona will tell erboutin’ his -sea voyage; St. Peter, dat lubly ’possel, ub how many shirks he kotch -an’ kilt; Little Jack-a-ass erboutin how slippery wuz de sycamo’ tree he -clum; Jacob erboutin de lubly streeked, striped an’ speckled cattle he -riz; Nimrod erboutin coon dogs, King Sol’mon erboutin he -thorrybreds—brudderin’ I cud preach fum dis tex’ fuh uh monf an’ nebba -git rejected, but I mus’ migrate ter dem dat ain’ bin ’mersed. Wha will -dey be when dat sweet festibal is gwine on? Cole ez hit is—an’ dar’s fo’ -back logs on de fire—I say cole ez hit is, tu cole fuh uh ’possum ter be -out, yit I feel so het up fum dis discose dat I kin almos’ tase de red -hot melted lead, an’ sizzlin’ brimstone dat de sinnah hab ter resis’ on. - -“You kyant eat uh hoe-cake but once!” so cum ter de moanah’s bench now; -cum while de hoe-cake ub salbation is brown wid faith, an’ all kivver’d -ober wid de graby ub redemption, an’ hab yo’ fingahs filled wid streams -ub goodness. When you go befo’ St. Peter, de gre’t fisherman, he got -Moses stan’in’ by he side wid dat curisome rod ub his’n.[13] Den Moses -tap you on de han’ wid he rod, an’ ef’n you good yo’ fingah nails will -fly back, an’ Moses will pull fum yo’ fingahs gre’t long strings ub -goodness; an’ ef’n you bad, gre’t long black bad strings. - -Uncle Reubin Viney say dat he heah uh gre’t Mefodis’ pawson say dat -Unuch, who wuz transplanted, wuz so good dat he didn’ hab any fingah -nails, an’ de Mefodis’ pawson also say de reason de debbil is called Ole -Scratch is kase he fingah nails long ez uh roostus spuhs. - -Now, when Moses tap yo’ fingahs what he gwine ter pull out? Belubbed, -now is de time fuh de checkeration ub yo’ sins. Burhol’ de golden stairs -starin’ you in de face! Sistus an’ brudders, you mus’ try ter clim’ dem -stairs. Hit will meck yo’ legs, ahms, risses an’ hyarts so strong, jes’ -ez it did little Zackasses when he clum dat slippery sycamo’ tree; an’ -when you git ter de top ub dem golden stairs you will see fus’ Ole Mars -Nickey, Mars Tilghman, Mars Jimmy an’ Miss Henrietta wid wings _’hine_ -an’ _befo’_ an’ cullud angels consonly breshin’ de dus’ fum Miss -Henrietta’s cheah, an’ lookin’ fuh huh specks, an’ you’ll see de same -sweet ringlets in huh hyah. Yas, indeed! kissen huh lubly brow, neck an’ -bres’ jes’ like de jewdraps kisses de snowballs in de gyardin. An’ -pres’ny she will raise up dem sweet han’s ub huh’n dat’s of’n bin bu’nt -meckin’ poltices fuh good an’ bad serbents, open huh cherrypin mouf an’ -say, “Dem’s meh good serbents; I knew’d dey’d be heah!” An’ den she’ll -call Ham an’ say, “Gib ’em nice seats in de Lawd’s kitchen;” an’ while -she gibbin’ orders King Dabid chune he hyarp, Gabriel he trumpet, an’ -all de res’ ub de gre’t singers an’ players git ’roun’ de organ. Den -King Sol’mon, wid uh pow’ful bow an’ uh book ub songs un’er his arm, ax -Miss Henrietta futto play de organ; an’ Miss Henrietta bow fum him an’ -look ez prowd ez uh peacock—an’ she wuz, tu! An’, belubbed, she say, -“I’m sho’ you ain’ pus-nal, den ergin you ain’ rash-nal, King Sol’mon, -kase you had tu many wibes; an’ ef’n it wan’ fuh dem lubly songs ub yo’n -I wudn’ fogib yo’ sassyness er keep comp’ny wid you.” - -Lars’ but not leas’, I ’specks Aunt Phillis sot at de melojin in de -Lawd’s kitchen wid all Marster’s good an’ faithful serbents ’roun’ huh, -an’ when Moses teck he rod an’ gib dat rod uh twiss, dey all included by -singin’ togedda, de fo’f vus ub hym 473: - - “He suvrin pow’r widout our aid - Made us ub clay [dar’s de application] an’ formed us men; - An’ when like wan’rin’ sheep we strayed, - He fotch us ter his fol’ ergen.” - -Befo’ we sojourn I fogot ter renounce dat Mage Rudd say de keys ub de -heb’nly organ wuz all made ub gole. Yistiddy I ax Mars Pinckney erboutin -hit, an’ he say, “Sho’! Da wuz uh _Key_ made ub gole dat writ uh gre’t -an’ pow’ful song.” Think ub dat! I dunno what he mean ezac’ly, but I -s’pose hit sompin in rebellation. - -[Illustration: - - OLE MISS. - - (Miss Henrietta.) -] - - - - - JUBA VINEY’S YALLER PANTS. - - -Flowers were fading. Roses, hyacinths, honeysuckle, buttercups and -bluebells all gave “sigh for sigh.” ’Twas the last of summer—the hour -when birds fly homeward to their nests, wandering bees seek their hives, -chickens their roosts. ’Twas twilight, and its dews bathed the blooming -clematis, climbing and caressing the latticed porch; a wooing breeze -wafted its perfume through Otwell House, and awoke the waves on the -slumbering river. - -Aunt Phillis had early leave to attend a Baptist prayer meeting, -consequently the crickets were having a concert in the kitchen, little -darkies were romping merrily on the lawn. Ole Mars was visiting Col. -Leonard Hollyday and shooting sora and blue-wing duck on Wild Goose -Marsh. Miss Henrietta had just tuned her harp and bade the servants be -quiet. Presently all was silence, save the drowsy burr of some insect. - -Her voice was mellifluous, her face pure and noble, and the servants -worshipped her as the ancient Jews worshipped Queen Esther. She sang, -“There is a green hill far away,” and her beautiful fingers at times -touched the strings softly as snowflakes that fall upon the warm cheek -of a maiden and melt into tears—as did her voice. - -Below the porch sat Little Billy an enrapt listener. Just as the song -was ended Juba Viney strolled by, and Little Billy said: - -“Howdy, Juba! Which way you bin?” - -“Ain’ bin no wha; jes’ gwine.” - -“Wha you gwine?” - -“Gwine ter Mage Rudd’s[14] sto’; tells me mus’rat hides is riz—wuf uh -levy. I’m gwine ter sell mine.” - -“Well, wait tell I chain Jasper, den I’ll go wid you.” - -“What’s de matter wid Jasper, Billy?” - -“Why, uh coon bit him in de foot lars nite. Nebber wud hab bit him ef’n -Jasper hadn’ been ’fused. I smoked de coon outin uh holler, an’ de smoke -’fused de dog.” - -“I’s glad futto hab you go, Billy, kase I wants yo’ ’sponsibility. I’s -gwine ter buy some things at de sto’. I specks ter fill bof dese bags, -dat’s full ub mus’rat hides, wid what I buy.” - -“I wud teck meh mus’rat hides, too, but I sprain meh ankle, back, ahms, -risses an’ han’s lars nite clim’in’ uh tree. I ain’ able ter tote -nuffin, so I kyant teck meh skins ter nite.” - -“Tho’t you say you smoke de coon out?” - -“So I did, but dis wuz uh nubba coon.” - -“I hope Mage Rudd won’ be shut up; I wan’ ter git sompin nice fuh Susan. -She ’bout done promise she gwine ter hab me, Billy; wud uh merried me -long ’go, ’ceppin’ fuh dat yaller niggah dat dribes fuh Mrs. Rodgers. -She nebba bin in lub wid Jerry; hit’s only when Mrs. Rodgers cum ter see -Miss Henrietta, an’ he got on glubs dat’s got fuz on ’em, uh ban’ ’roun’ -he hat; bras’ buttons on he coat, white-top boots on, an’ uh sorter pine -burr on de side ub he hat, an’ al’ays hab he pocket full ub can’y dat’s -got vusses in ’em. Billy, don’ you say nuffin boutin hit, but I’m gwine -ter hab meh pockets made bigga, an’ gwine ter hab one pocket full ub dat -can’y all de time. What you s’pose dat can’y got in it? Hit almos’ -cunjah Susan. - -“Ef’n Susan cud jes’ see me once dress up dat way, why, man, she cudn’ -resis’ me futto sabe huh life. Nite befo’ lars’ when she seed me gwine -ter Zion, wid meh yaller pants on dat’s got black stripes down de legs, -dem I bo’t at Mage Rudd’s, she jes’ wuz charm’; an’ when I show’d huh -meh new par ub gallisters[15] I got ter ware wid dem pants, she ’low, -‘Juba, you sut’ny do look peart.’ When Aunt Sookey seed me she sez, -‘Juba, you luck tu sweet ter lib.’ Den Uncle Stephen he smole uh grin -an’ say, ‘Wait tell Jerry cum prancin’ erlong, you won’ think so.’ Den -dey cummenc’ titterin’ an’ pokin’ deah necks out jes’ like uh passel ub -geese wid young goslin’s; mos’ ’gusted me! Billy, Mrs. Rodgers al’ays -call dat niggah Jerry-Myah. I nebba knew’d any niggah ’roun’ heah name’ -Myah, did you?” - -“Not dat I kin recommember. He cum outin de Cyahrmichael fambly, an’ dey -monstus cute sort ub niggahs.” - -“Well, he ain’ ’stressin’ me! I walk home fum Zion lars’ Sunday wid -Susan. She did luck tu cute in dat new Josey ub hern! I dunno which -’track huh mos’, de gre’t sermon ub Pawson Demby er meh yaller pants. He -prech fum de book ub Daniel erboutin de time de William goat (Pawson -Demby say ’twan’ perlite ter say Billy goat in de pulpit) fit an’ smut -de ram an’ breck he hohns. He ’cluded fum two profits (I fogit de name -ub de fus’ one, but hit got Zek in it), an’ hit wuz all erboutin de new -moon, six lam’s an’ uh ram. De udder profit wuz de gre’t Gencis, an’ -Pawson Demby ’splain ter us ’bout de two hun’erd yews an’ twenty rams -dat Jacob sont See-saw.” - -“Juba, you mean Esau, de hunter.” - -“Yas, dat’s hit, Billy. You see, I kyant read ter ’fresh meh mem’ry. -Well, hit wuz uh real farmer’s sermon, but I wuz glad when de ’cludin’ -time cum, kase Pawson Demby prech two hours an’ uh harf, de pew wuz so -crowded an’ we sot so close dat bof meh feet wen’ ’sleep; truf is, dey -got so tired, an’ ’twuz so wahm, I wud hab tuck meh shoes orf, but I -didn’ hab no stockin’s on. Mrs. Rodgers’ Jerry wan’ at chuch. Tilly, he -sistah, say he had uh chill. Wish hit had shake he haid orf! So I walk -home wid Susan. When she got in de kitchen an’ tuck huh shoes orf she -say ergin, ‘Juba, you sut’ny do look peart!’ Den she put huh han’ in huh -pocket, pull out one dem can’y vusses, an’ she say hit say: - - “Wiolets red, roses blue, - Sugah sweet; me too.” - -“Den she pull out nubba, an’ hit say— - - Lub hangs ’round dis lubbin’ hyart - Like flies ’roun’ uh apple tart. - -“Den she put huh han’s un’er de ap’on strings ’roun’ huh ’squisit’ -waise—so! ’Cose I knewed what dat me’nt, so I tuck uh good tase ub dem -big sweet lips ub huh’n. Den she try ter look like she ’fended, an’ say, -‘Go ’way, Juba; you al’ays wan’ ter be pus-nal.’ Den she skip ’long ter -de dairy, an’ huh feet tech de groun’ jes’ ez sorf an’ lite ez uh -’possum’s. Bimeby she cum back wid huh ahms full ub uh gre’t big crock -ub clabba, all kivvered ober wid brown sugah. Den I hilt huh an’ kiss’d -huh sho’ nuff, mo’n six er seben times. I’d uh kiss huh six er seben -hun’erd times, but I heahd Miss Henrietta cummin’ ter see boutin some -ginger cakes she cookin’ in de stobe. I wuz sut’ny glad to heah huh, tu, -kase I specks Susan wud uh scolded me pow’ful. Dunno tho’; kase when -Miss Henrietta cum tippin’ in so sorf dat huh little feets wudn’ uh mash -uh rose ef’n de kitchen flo’ bin kivvered wid ’em, Susan she wuz uh -singin’, ‘Dar is uh happy lan’ fa’, fa’ erway,’ same ez uh martingale. -How-some-ebba, she mus’ uh bin uh little ’fused, kase she cummenc’ ter -stir dat clabba—when I heah Miss Henrietta an’ breck uh ’way—same ez hit -wuz eggs, butta, cawn meal an’ butta milk, gittin’ stirred fuh -johnny-cake. I’s teckin dis bag futto carry what I’s gwine ter buy huh. -I wudn’ teck uh kyart-load ub mus’rat hides fuh dat gal’s lub! An’ ef’n -Mage Rudd is got ’em, I’s gwine ter buy harf peck ub dat sweet can’y -dat’s got vusses, some ammons, resins, dates an’ apples—’nuff futto fill -dis bag. Den fuh mehsef I wan’ ter git uh mouf orgin, two mo’ -juice-hyarps, an’ wid de res’ ub de money I’s gwine ter see ef’n I kyant -buy uh new par ub pants, yaller wid black stripes, an’ uh fiddle.” - -“You better buy sompin’ dat will meck money.” - -“What’s dat?” - -“Why, some ub dem new kine ub steel traps, ’sted ub wasein’ yo’ money on -can’y, resins, an’ sich like fuh dat gal Susan futto eat wid Mrs. -Rodgers’ Jerry. Juba, you sut’ny mus’ t’ink ’tain’ no trubble ter ketch -mus’rats an’ skin ’em, de way you wase yo’ money; mo’n dat, I wants ter -borry two dollars fum you mehsef tell I sell meh mus’rat hides. Now, -what you wan’ wid two par yellow pants’ Dey ve’y putty, but one par nuff -fuh dis summer, dat’s harf gone.” - -“Well, Billy, I spile dem pants day befo’ yistiddy, which I will tell -you boutin, tho’ hits uh composation dat’s ornpleasan’ ter me. Well, I -had bin haulin’ cawn all day ter Cap’n Stitchberry’s schooner, de -Margaret Jane. I wan’ ter dress up ter teck Susan ter de ’bate at Zion -Chuch, so I jes’ fed Crow an’ Ab’ham, tu’n ’em loose, an’ didn’ teck -deah yoke off. Fus’ place, dat white steer Crow is dangersome ter projic -wid—Uncle Stephen say de gre’tes’ kicker he ebba saw; an’ he say de nite -Crow wuz bohn wuz de wus’ nite he ebba saw. Blowin’, dark an’ snowin’—so -dark dat’s why dey call him Crow. Uncle Stephen say when uh leetle ca’f -he wud kick his ma, ole Snowball, quick ez he wud kick you. So, ’cose I -didn’ wan’ dat steer ter kick me big ez he is. I heahd Uncle Silas say -one time he wuz plowin’ wid Dove an’ Pigeon—dey wuz de bigges’ an’ -strongis’ mules Mars Nickey had. He plow’d up uh yaller-jackets’ nes’, -an’ he wuzn’ watchin Dove er Pigeon; he wuz jes’ watchin’ an’ fightin’ -dem yaller-jackets. He say he had mos’ wo’ out uh bran’ new straw hat -fightin’ ’em, an’ wuz mos’ ’zausted, when dey got on Dove. She gib uh -kick, _bof_ huh feet hit him on de haid an’ gib him de haidache all day. -An’ dat uh steer name Sampson—an’ he wan’ sech uh pow’ful steer -neba—kick him on de haid wid _one_ foot, an’ he haid ache fuh _two_ -days. - -“Well, ez I wuz tellin’ you, I hadn’ mo’n fed Crow an’ Ab’ham, when dat -new oberseer, Dan Sharp, cum ’long an’ sez ter me, jes’ ez I wuz -startin’ ter see Susan, ‘Why didn’ you teck de yoke of’n dem steers?’ So -I say, ‘Kase I fogot hit!’ ‘Well, den,’ he say, ’you lazy roscal, teck -hit orf now!’ I wuz all dress up in meh bes’ summer close, an’ I -recommembered what you say boutin dat oberseer; so I riz meh haid up an’ -say, sassy-like, ‘You roscal yo’sef.’ Billy, wid dat he fairly foam at -de mouf, run arfter me fas’ ez uh colt; den I run an’ run, but he gain -on me (you see, I had meh shoes on), an’ I wuz so feard gittin’ kotch -an’ whupped, da wuz nuffin lef’ fuh me but ter run in de creek, at de -mouf ub Haylan’ Branch, up ter meh neck—_wid dem new yaller pants on_. -Arfter I had bin in de watah boutin twenty minutes, mebby uh harf hour, -long nuff fuh Dan Sharp ter git his bref back, he say, ‘Who uh roscal, -you black imp; me er you?’ I sez rite quick, ‘I is!’ Den he say, ‘You -kin cum outin de creek.’ Den I tu’n fool, ez hit tu’n out, an’ say, ‘I -ain’ gwine ter cum out; I’s gwine ter suffah in heah. I’s gwine ter git -de cramps, an’ uh mis’ry in meh back, an’ den go an’ tell Mars Nickey -an’ Miss Henrietta how I kotch dem cramps.’ Den Dan Sharp say, ‘Ef’n you -gwine ter tell yo’ Mars Nickey an’ Miss Henrietta, den I will keep you -in heah tell midnite.’ Den he teck out he watch an’ say, ‘I’ll send de -fus’ one ub de chillun dat cum ’long de road fuh meh supper. I ain’ -sorry ter stay heah, kase I heah tell ub de dancin’ parties de witches -hab in dis branch, an’ I wanter see how long hit will teck ’em ter gib -you spavins when dey gits ter dancin’ an’ meddowtatin’ ’roun’ you an’ -tryin’ ter meck sturrups in yo’ hyah.’ - -“Billy, I had meh hyah all tied up in twisses, but when de oberseer talk -dat fashion, meh hyah riz up on meh haid so quick hit bus’ dem twisses. -I mos’ had uh spavin, sho’ nuff. When meh bref cum back I say, ‘Befo’ de -Lawd, Mr. Sharp, I promis’ not ter tell.’ Den he lemmy cum out. Well, -Billy, ef’n you cud hab seed de colour de salt watah tu’n dem lubly -pants, you’d uh wep’. Do you recommember uh ole white-eyed, pie-coloured -hoss dat good ole Quakah, Mars Isaac Atkinson, had name Skeuball?” - -“’Cose I do. Mars Isaac use ter say witches made stirrups in he main, -an’ sometimes rid him ober ter Fausley.” [Billy was that witch!] - -“Well, de colour ub dem pants ’mine me ub ole Skeuball; I kyant ’magin’ -what de man dat made de muslin cud uh put in hit. An’ Billy, I kyant -ondastan’ how cum Mr. Sharp run me in dat creek. I’m mo’n twice ez big -ez you is, an’ you say when he cuss you, you cuss him back. ’Cose arfter -what you spressify ter me, when he sass me I rite ’way ’cluded ter sass -him. So I say, ‘You roscal yo’sef.’ Billy you no de consequation ub dat -miration. I ’ten’ ter ax Mr. Sharp when he meck up wid me how cum hit -dat Billy kin cuss him an’ I kyant ebin sass him.” - -“Juba, don’ tu’n fool ergin. Don’ say nuffin ter him nohow; hit will -jes’ meck him mad ergin, an’ dat gre’t big man mite breck bof our necks. -Da wuz uh checkeration in our composation de nite I tole you, fuh Mage -Rudd tuck his broom an’ fairly swep’ me outin his sto’ fuh spillin’ -mullasses on de sto’ flo’, an’ I wuz tu fusstified ter tell you de res’ -ub what I did boutin Mr. Sharp. Well, Juba, de res’ is, when I wan’ ter -cuss him I goes way up ter de top ub de hill ’hin’ de bawn. Den I looks -all ’roun’ an’ ’roun’, an’ ef’n I don’ see Mr. Sharp no wha neah, I jes’ -cuss, cuss, an’ cusses him; an’ dat way, hit do mo’ good dan yo’ way, -kase you kin git mad ez you wan’ ter, spressify yo’sef jes’ ez yo’ wan’ -ter, an’ hit don’ teck de colour outin yo’ pants.” - -“Well, Billy, I ain’ fogot de spilein’ ub dem pants, I tell you. I bin -t’inkin’ ’bout breckin’ meh wud an’ tyin’ meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ -tellin’ Mars Nickey de ve’y fus’ time he ax me how I feel. Den I’ll say, -“Po’ly, Mars Nickey; ve’y po’ly eber sence Mr. Sharp run me in yo’ creek -at de foot ub Haylan’ Branch mash an’ kep’ me stan’in’ in da mos’ all -nite tramplin’ on yo’ oysters. Now, what do you t’ink, Billy, boutin -dat?” - -“Ez you gwine ter tell Marster in de summah time er de wintah time?” - -“Dunno, Billy; I ain’ t’ink ’bout dat.” - -“Well, teck my ’vice an’ tell him in de summah time, kase boutin uh harf -hour arfter you tell him, da will be tu pussons stan’in’ in de creek up -ter deah moufs—one will be Mr. Sharp, tudda, Juba Viney.” - - - - - “HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.” - - -Sistus, brudders an’ chillun: You will fine meh tex’ in de forty-fus’ -chaptah ub Job, an’ uh part ub de twenty-fus’ vus: “His bref kinleth -coals.” - -Fus’ly, meh discose ter-day will be ’boutin strange things. - -Da is some people in dis congation, ’tickerly Little Billy, dat kyant -ondastan’ why we don’ no mo’ erboutin witches, an’ ghoses. De fac’ is, -sence de witch cummittee went inter Haylan’ Branch, saw uh ghose er -sperrit—an’ dey sut’ny saw one er de udda—da has bin too much witch talk -in dis congation. Fuh instinct, what diffunc’ do hit meck ef’n hit de -same sort, er not de same sort, ub witches dat Saul talk erboutin when -he say, “Thou shal’ not suffah uh witch ter lib.” Mo’n dat, he cud ’ford -ter talk dat way, fars ez he cud run. - -De Bible say, “Saul an’ Jonithan wuz swiftah dan eagles.” - -Secon’ly, Meh belubbed sistus, da is some things you nebba kin fine -out, stranger dan witches an’ mo’ ’structive dan witches er -jack-uh-ma-lanterns. - -Thudly, Dis lubly oak pulpit Mars Nickey had built full us wuz once uh -acorn—think ub dat; an’ you may keep on thinkin’, but you kyant -ondastan’ it. - -Fo’fly, Miss Henrietta cum in de chuch yistiddy an’ look ’roun’ while I -wuz sweepin’. She say: “Reubin, Chris’mus I gwine ter gib de chuch uh -melojin.” She had in huh bres’ fo’ er five little wiolets, an’ dey jes’ -fill de chuch full ub deah sweetness—dunno tho’, kase I specks some ub -de sweetness wuz fum huh bref, kase hit’s jes’ like uh lam’s. - -Now, den, what cud be mo’ strange dan de odah fum uh little wiolet? Hit -cums peepin’ up in de early spring, den hit buds an’ blooms, an’ uh bed -ub dem wiolets is ez sweet ez dat hyarp ub uh thousan’ strings dat -little Dabid played ’pon. What’s in de groun’ ’ceppin’ de wumms ter gib -dat wiolet odah? Mars Nickey say dat wumms sweeten de uth an’ meck holes -futto let de air in. You kin smell de wiolet, but you kyant kerry dat -odah ’way wid you; but uh jewdrap kin cum ’long erboutin sundown, drap -on dat flowah, res’ uh little while, an’ what’s de consequation? Why, -dat little jewdrap will ’sorb ernuff ub dat odah ter meck yo’ hankcheah -smell sweet fuh uh hole Sunday, an’ you kin teck hit outin yo’ pocket -ev’y five minutes, ef’n you wan’ter. - -What’s witches er ghoses ’long side de mistification ub uh jewdrap? Why, -de action ub young chickens is mo’ curisome ter me dan witches. Ef’n uh -chicken is only two days ole, and not strong ernuff ter git on he ma’s -back, an’ uh wile tukkey, er wile goose, er buzzard cum sailin’ ’long, -hit don’ pesterfy de ole hen er any ub huh chicks. Dey keep on playin’ -wid dere toes an’ tryin’ ter pick up ebery little trem’lin’ sunbeam -dat’s playin’ wid de grass; but jes’ let uh little sparrow-hawk, er any -kind ub hawk cum ’long, you’ll see dat ole hen renounce hit ter huh -chicks quick ez you kin wink yo’ eye. Den you kin look an’ look, but you -kyant fine one ub dem little chickens ter sabe yo’ life. - -Now, why is dat? Hits da _in_-sence; dat is, de sence dat’s in ’em. - -Sixly, Teck uh little cherry blossom dat you cud put in Miss Henrietta’s -thimble; hit mecks uh cherry tree. I’s talkin’ now boutin dem small -breed ub cherry blossoms dat grows at Fausley, on dem monstus gre’t big -trees. Why, some ub de bumps on dem trees is big ernuff ter set on. -Pow’ful big cherry trees! What’s witches ter de cherry blossoms dat -mecks dem big trees? You kyant ’splain hit. - -We do no sompin’ erbout witches; fuh instinct, we kin ondastan how some -breed ub witches kin lib in cows’ hohns—dem small ones dat Little Billy -say lit on Pigeon’s mane (an’ you no mules don’ hab long manes) jes’ -same ez uh pack ub mice wid wings, one night when he ridin’ Pigeon thoo -Haylan’ Branch. Billy say de biggis’ one he saw dat time wuz uh white -one, wid spuhs on, boutin ez big ez uh young rabbit befo’ dey leabe deah -nes’—an’ ub cose at uh ’stressin’ time like dat Billy mus’ uh saw twice. -Mo’ober he say ef’n de witches had uh had bobtails he wud uh tuck ’em -fuh rabbits; but deah tails wuz ve’y curisome—erbout twice ez long ez uh -’possum’s, an’ rap all ’roun’ deah ahms. - -But de stranges’ thing ub all is what I now cum ter seben’ly— - - “HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.” - -We kyant say our pr’ars widout hit. Hit’s got fingahs, I s’pose plays -hohns an’ all insterments dat you blow on. Hit sings, howls, whispuhs -an’ moans same ez uh mo’nah. Hit’s uh thing wid three names. - -Ev’ybody lubs de part dat ’longs ter him mo’n uh jus’ man lub his wife, -er King Dabid lubb’d Ab-so-lum. We kin see hit in wintah when hit’s cole -an’ frosty, but kyant see hit in de summah when it dry. Hit’s wid us -whedder we ersleep er wake. Som’times hit’s ez weak ez uh nat, den ergin -stronger dan de little hills dat de Bible say, “skipped like lam’s.” -Hit’s wahm in summah an’ cole in wintah. Hit’s gentle one day an’ sassy -nubba day. Hit kerries in hit’s bres’ de storm an’ scatters de clowds. -Hit wuz wid Jonah in de whale’s belly. Hit kin sow an’ reap. Ezactly so, -precisely. Hit’s stronger dan all de steers, cows, hosses, mules an’ men -on dis plantation. In quaresomeness da’s nuffin kin tech it; uh barnyard -full ub witches is nuffin ter dis mis’try. - - “HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.” - -Ately, hit kin be ez sorf ez de fevvers on uh hummin’ bird’s bres’ er de -down on uh wile goose’s neck. Belubbed, hit’s nebba still; al’ays goin’ -somewha, an’ de Bible say you kyant see hit. No snail kin creep ’long -slower dan hit kin, an’ no ghose run fasser. - -Ninely, Hit kin canter, rack, gallop, trot; hit’s got all de gaits, an’ -when hit comes ter swif’ness, dar ain’ nuffin un’er de sun, an’ I specks -ober de sun, dat kin run erway fum hit. Hit kin sing ez high ez Aunt -Phillis an’ ez low ez Little Billy. Sometimes hit coughs same ez an ole -cow dat’s tryin’ ter swaller uh nubbin ’dout chawin’ hit. - -Leb’nly, De fac’ is, sistus an’ brudders, our bref, de win’, er -air—three names fuh one thing—mus’ be uh pusson. How cud it cough, -whistle, sing, cry, moan same ez uh sinnah, whispuh, sow an’ reap, ef’n -it wan’ one ub dem Possels er Petracks in disgise. - - “HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.” - -Twelf’ly, _Any way you look at hit_, hit sut’ny mus’ be some kine ub -pusson. Brudderin, hit mus’ be Job, fuh Job say, “O, recommember dat meh -life _is wind_.”[16] Dar’s uh gre’t deal mo’ ub it in Haylan’ Branch dan -witches. In de summahtime hit sweetens Haylan’ Branch; huvverin’ ober de -wile grapewines, dem nights in June, drinks itself full ub ’licious -odahs an’ brings dem two miles ter Mars Nickey, Miss Henrietta an’ de -chillun settin’ on de po’ch lookin’ at de Tred Avon, an’ ter ev’y good -an’ bad niggah on de plantation. Sistus, I specks de gyarden ub Edum wuz -full ub wile grapewines. ’Cose Miss Eve knew’d what de sweetes’ ub odahs -wuz, an’ I specks Mars Adam an’ Miss Eve spent da moon-honey ’roun’ dem -wile grapewines. - -Thutteenly, Ter cum back ter de application, what is de win’? Is it uh -Cherrypin er Serrypin, er Job in disgise? - -Damon Danridge: “Uncle Reubin hit cudn’ be uh Cherrypin er Serrypin, -kase sometimes de win’ good-temper’d, den ergin hit’s angry.” - -Uncle Reubin: “Damon, I ’cepts yo’ ’spons’bility, kase when de win’ gits -rale mad hit orften mecks de clowds weep snow an’ cry rain. Think ub -dat! An’ when you see de ole steamboat Marylan’ lash ter de warf, an’ -Cap’n Stitchberry’s ole yaller sail schooner, de Margaret Jane, clair up -ter de haid ub Fausley Creek, you kin see ’mejately de win’ almos’ got -uh spavin.” - -Fo’teenly, Sistus, brudders an’ little chillun, teck care ub yo’ bref; -fuh de Bible say, “We all do fade ez de leaf.” You wan’s de bref ub life -all de time, night an’ day, right wid you. Brudders, sometimes hit’s too -full ub applejack, udder times mebby hit’s wasted tellin’ lies, dancin’, -playin’ de fiddle, singin’ songs, stealin’ watahmillions, an’ habin’ -foolish composations erbout ghoses, jack-uh-ma-lanterns an’ witches, -when de same bref mout uh bin used futto pray wid an’ sing hyms. Ef’n -you don’ teck care ub yo’ bref you will be class wid dem dat’s call uh -bag ub win’—an’ da ain’ nuffin mo’ onsartin’ dan de win’. - -Lars’ but not leas’, when you go home talk erboutin’ de win’ ’sted ub -ghoses an’ witches, ondastan’ yo’sebs, pray fuh de bref ub de lam’ futto -be wid you, an’ when you rassle wid yo’ lars bref an’ hit whispuh sorf -ez uh Cherrypin— - - “Yo’ll not git los’ in de wildernes’ - Wid uh lighted can’le in yo’ bres’.” - -Light de can’le! Ef’n you don’ light hit good an’ hab de wick ub -salbation, den de blessed Lawd will _blow_ hit out an’ say ergin: “Foxes -hab holes, an’ de birds ub de _air_ (dar’s de application) hab nesses; -but de Son ub Man hath not wha ter lay His haid.” - -[Illustration: - - BLACK CREEK FORD. -] - - - - - DAT AUNTYDOTE.[17] - - - Dramatis Personae. - - Mars Dick—A country doctor. - Ben—a credulous darkey. - Mike—a Talbot County mule. - - - ACT I. - - - SCENE I.—Ben’s cabin near a swamp. - - When Mike, meh mule, tuck sick Mars Dick cum ridin’ by - An’ say, “Uh case orntried is hyard ter jestify; - Still, I kin git him well, meck up yo’ mine ter dat, - Ef you will turn yo’ pollyticks an’ be uh Dimmycrat. - - “I’s gwine ter try an’ git inter de Legislater, Ben, - An’ I wan’ ter run uh haid ub de res’ ub all de men.” - De consequation wuz I say, “I’ll vote fuh you, Mars Dick, - Fuh dis po’ wretched mule ub mine is mighty, monstus sick.” - - Den Mars Dick say, “Be quick! Run ter de swamp an’ get - Snake-root, squaw-root, mash-mallers an’ bone-set; - Ros’ ’em in uh spidah tell dey squench up inter uth, - Den da ain’ no tellin’ what sich uh powder’s wuth.” - - Hit seems ter me de price wuz big dat I got fuh meh vote, - Kase Mars Dick say dem swamp yearbs wuz uh pow’ful auntydote - Fuh hic-cups, cramps, brownchytiz, bruises, bu’ns, haidaches, - Rheumatiz an’ measles, conwulsions and de shakes. - - An’ den Mars Dick he tole me, in de mawnin’ ’fo’ I feed - Futto go inter de swamp an’ git de largis’ reed I seed, - An’ fill hit full fum en’ ter en’ wid dat gran’ auntydote, - Pull out Mike’s tongue, put in de reed, an’ blow hyard down he thote. - - - SCENE II. - - In ’bout uh week I heahd uh nock—’twuz Mars Dick at de do’; - I’d jes’ begun uh leetle bit ter walk ’cross de flo’; - De pussperation baved meh face, an’ I had so leetle bref, - Dat Mars Dick say, “Why, Ben, what’s de matter wid yo’sef?” - - I say ter him, “Dat auntydote wuz wus’n dangerous, - De mule he gib uh pow’ful snort, _an’ his blow wuz de fus’_! - De bone-set’s clustah’d ’roun’ meh bones, de snake-root’s in meh brain, - Meh back is full ub mis’ry, an’ meh haid is full ub pain.” - - - MORAL. - - Young Marster ain’ de kine ub man dat suits de Legislater, - He spressify his condidence too much ter meck uh ’bater; - Dat auntydote dey call it wud nebber tech meh thote - Ef I hadn’ pestered pollyticks an’ sole fuh weeds meh vote. - -[Illustration: - - “SKYLARK.” - - Mars Matthew wuz ridin’ in de lead on Skylark, an’ his favorite hound, - Jerry Myah, wuz tonguein’ - ez sweet ez er Melojin, an’ leadin’ de pack. -] - - - - - EZRA. - - -Ezzy, as the servants called him, was a brother to Little Billy, almost -as smart, but in character as unlike as Jacob and Esau were in -appearance, for Billy had very little character and Ezzy a great deal. -He was short of stature, well figured, good featured, perfect teeth, and -though 60 years old, was full of life, gracious and light-hearted. He -doted on a horse race, could cut the pigeon wing and was as fond of a -fox hunt as Squire Weston. As much as he loved to eat, he would leave a -steaming breakfast of hominy and sparerib if he heard a pack in full -cry. - -He had a most remarkable memory; for instance, he knew the mothers of -all the calves and lambs, the names of all the oyster pungies, schooners -and canoes in the river. I suppose in Bolingbrook District there were a -hundred foxhounds; he knew all of their names, and when they passed him -in full cry would exclaim, “Da goes Chimes, Jerry-Myah, Boxer, Juno, -Jew-Drap, Sweet-lips, Heatherbell, Sweetheart,” etc. He sang, played the -banjo and was a decided beau. Indeed, he was a born sport, and like his -brother, Little Billy, not fond of hard work. He was an exceptionally -good horseman, had good hands and good judgment; in Queen Anne’s County -had ridden and won two races for his Marster; could break a yoke of oxen -in a week; schooled the hunters, broke the colts, rode them bare-back, -and, as he would say, “Dey jes’ drapped into his ways.” - -Ezra had his faults, however, and annoyed the overseers with his -shortcomings. For example, he doted on coon hunting, and when he had -been coon hunting all night, would go to sleep for hours next day -husking corn and not husk enough to pay for his bacon. If a fox was run -through the estate, Ezra would pack in and forget his work. When the -overseers would call him to account he would say, “I cudn’ help gittin’ -’stracted an’ harkin’ up dem houn’s. Mars Matthew wuz ridin’ in de lead -on Skylark, an’ his favorite houn’, Jerry-Myah, wuz tonguein’ ez sweet -ez uh melojin, an’ leadin’ de pack.” - -Late in September, 1857, to judge Cotswold sheep his Marster was invited -to the great cattle and horse show to be held in Memphis, Tenn., the -next month. As Ezra was fond of animals, and trifling about hard work, -had good manners and full of kindness, his Marster concluded to send him -to Memphis with eight sheep, the pick of the flock. - -[Illustration: - - Dey ’long ter Mars Matthew; his Gre’t Gran Pa, dey tell me, hope - C’lumbus ter ’sciver Talbot County, an’ dat wuz befo’ de Petracks - (Patriarchs) cum ober. -] - -They stopped in Baltimore, where Noah Walker & Company fitted him out -with two suits of brown livery with brass buttons. He was given a new -hat, as he expressed it, “Wid uh burr on one side de hat;” but his new -boots particularly charmed him, as the best servants got boots, and the -others shoes. From Baltimore, Ezra was sent direct to Memphis, and his -Mars Matthew joined, in Richmond, Col. John Ware, of Virginia, who bred -Cotswold sheep and exhibited in Memphis. - -At the Memphis show, three of Ezra’s sheep took blue ribbons, one a red -ribbon. He was standing in front of his sheep cot, two days after -arriving—standing as though he was going to have his picture taken, -delighted with himself and the blue ribbons. A man came along and said: - -“Has your Marster many sheep like these?” - -“Many? Erbout ten thousan’; dey jes’ run an’ tuck de fus’ dey kotch.” - -Another man said, “Whose sheep are these?” - -“Dey ’long ter Mars Matthew; his gre’t granpa, dey tell me, holp -C’lumbus ’sciver Talbot County, an’ dat wuz befo’ de Petracks cum ober.” - -Presently a neat, likely looking mulatto girl came along, looked -admiringly at Ezra, leaned over the rail of the sheep cot and said -demurely, “Kin I pat one ub yo’ sheep?” - -“Sut’ny, honey; dey won’ bite,” Ezra said. “Do you lib ’roun’ heah?” - -“Yas, indeed;” and she added, “Wha you cum fum; ’roun’ heah?” - -“Bless meh soul an’ body an’ meh body an’ soul—ter think I cum fum dis -place! Why, dar ain’ no salt watah heah! I cum fum de Eastern Sho’ ub -Maryland, Talbot County. Uncle Stephen Viney say dat he heah John Poney -say dat he heah Pawson Phil Demby say dat meh fambly bin libbin’ in -Talbot County fum de times ub de Petracks. It’s de fines’ place on uth; -don’ hab ter wuck much; da ain’ much lan’, mos’ ev’ything salt watah, -ribbers, bays, creeks and cobes. Fuh instinct, I tecks meh boat”—— - -“Is you uh free pusson?” - -“Me? Dey don’ ’low free niggahs down dar; dey all qual’ty slabes.” - -“Well, you said you had uh boat.” - -“Sut’ny I did. Ef’n uh serbent wants uh boat he jes’ say ter Mars -Matthew, ‘I wants uh pine tree, meh Marster, futto meck uh boat,’ an’ -rite ’way he say, ‘Teck yo’ choice in de fores’;’ an’ den ten er twelbe -serbents almos’ meck dat boat in one night; dey call ’em dug-outs. Well, -I kin teck meh boat an’ cross de watah fum Mars Matthew’s ter Mars -Jimmy’s, erbout uh harf mile, in uh harf hour an’ mebby fish meh net on -de way; ef’n I had ter go by lan’, it wud be twelbe miles erroun’.” - -“Is de fishin’ good down da? Any mullets?” - -[Illustration: - - Meh name is Ezra, but dey call me Ezzy. -] - -“Mullets! We gib dem ter de hogs. We eats what dey call spot, hog-fish, -yaller-neds, catfish, pearch, sheepshead, crokusses, bay mackrel—dat -lars fish de bes’ ub all; don’ hab ter mobe yo’ lips an’ tongue ’tall; -hit jes’ melt in yo’ mouf—an’ crabs an’ oysters dey almos’ beg you ter -eat ’em. Coons in de swamps, an’ ’possums in mos’ ev’y ’simmon tree. -Serbents don’ hab much ter do; I dress up dis way mos’ all de time.” - -“Well, you sut’ny do look peart in dat suit, an’ you sut’ny mus’ lib in -uh pow’ful fine country. I’m a chambermaid, an’ ’longs ter Mars Bedford -Forrest, who’s showin’ some game chickens an’ fine cattle, heah; dat’s -one ub his serbents stan’in’ in front ub dem cattle; ax him ter bring -you ’roun’ ter-night ter see me; I’s jes’ pinin’ ter heah sum mo’ erbout -dem ribbers an’ ocean. Meh name is Muhtilda.” - -“Meh name is Ezra, but dey call me Ezzy.” - -“Well, kin I ’speck you, Ezzy?” - -“Yes’m; erboutin supper time.” - -Every night Ezra went to see Matilda, and every day, as long as she -could get off, Matilda came to see Ezra. The result was, at the end of -the week they were married. Ezra never said a word to his Marster about -it, and urged her to be silent. She was faithful, dependent and -obedient. Ezra told her “he wuz not gwine ter say anything ter his ole -Marster tell de day befo’ gwine home, and den his Mars Matthew wud buy -huh. Ef’n I say anything rite ’way he mout git rejected, teck me home by -mehsef, teck off dis nuniform; mo’n dat, he mout whup me, an’ nebba let -me go ter any mo’ shows.” Matilda grew so worried that she cried and -cried; she was more than perplexed, almost hysterical, so she told Ezra -she was going to see and talk to his Marster. Ezra was affrighted, and -said, “Ef’n you tu’n fool an’ git ter prancin’ erroun’ Marster, he will -say dat he is sho’ you mus’ uh run ’way wid me, an’ dat he don’ like -Tennessee niggahs.” - -Matilda had more courage, however, than Ezra, so she interviewed Ezra’s -Marster, who said: - -“Are you a slave?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“I hope your Marster is good and kind to you?” - -“Y-a-s, indeed, meh Marster; he is ve’y ’zactin’ an’ punnounced, but he -is jes’ ez kind ez kind kin be; ef’n I hadn’ fell in lub wid Ezzy, dat -Eastern Sho’ an’ his boat, I wudn’ arsk you ter buy me an’ leabe Mars -Bedford; but you know Ezzy hab ve’y cutesome ways.” - -“Suppose I can get your Marster to buy Ezra and make him promise never -to sell him as long as he behaves himself; how then? I hate to part with -him, but I have servants enough.” - -“Meh Marster, dat will settle de ’spute rite ’way; please sell Ezzy to -Mars Bedford. I’m sho’ he wudn’ part wid me, an’ Ezzy wild suit him -futto handle de hosses.” - -Mr. Forrest said he would not take five thousand dollars for Matilda; -she was all in all the best servant he ever owned, and after a brief -talk not only bought Ezra, but the sheep; so they did not have to come -home and carry their tails behind them. - -N. B. Forrest soon became attached to Ezra, thought the world of him, -and when the Civil War broke out took him as his body servant. Ezra -served him faithfully during the war, and when General Forrest disbanded -his troops at Gainesville, Ala., May 9th, 1865, General Forrest told -Ezra he would give him a home and take care of him as long as he lived. -Ezra said, “He wud like once mo’ ter see Mars Matthew an’ Miss Mary an’ -den cum back.” Whereupon General Forrest presented him with Pigeon, a -mule, and gave him money enough to go home. He rode some hundred and -seventy miles to the home of a Mrs. Sanson, where he stayed two weeks, -and then took the train from Rome, Ga., for home; and one bright, -beautiful morning early in June, timid and lonesome the steamer landed -him at Miles River Wharf, Talbot County, Maryland, a mile by water from -“Fairlands.” - -All faces were strange to him; he knew no one and no one knew him. “The -Rest” had been burned during the war, and the new house looked strange. -Across the river and opposite “The Rest” was “The Anchorage.” It looked -changed; there were no little negroes playing on the lawn. “The Villa” -further up the river was almost hidden by the trees that had grown so -since he left. Timidly he turned his longing eyes on “Fairlands,” and he -saw, a mile away across the river, grand pecan nut, majestic oak, poplar -and horse-chestnut trees. He pulled from his pocket a bandanna -handkerchief almost big enough to cover a baby’s crib, and said, -brushing tears from his eyes, “Dat’s wha Mars Matthew an’ Miss Mary lib. -Dat’s ‘Fairlands.’” He asked an old darkey unloading fish and soft crabs -from his canoe if, for thirty cents, he would land him at the foot of -the “Fairlands” garden. “Git abode; I got meh net sot at de foot ub de -gyarden.” - -“Ev’ything is so changed,” he said inaudibly, as he took his seat in the -bow of the boat. “Mars Bedford tole me I al’ays had uh home wid him,” -and he almost regretted leaving his far Southern home. - - -What a lovely day it was! The air was of caressing softness; the breeze -was so light that the sail sometimes jibed, the ripples kissed lightly -the sides of the boat that floated lazily along; the balmy June air, the -sweet breath of the salt water, all, coupled with Ezra’s fatigue, -soothed him and presently he was asleep. His hat fell off beside him, -and - - Da wuz no wool on de top ub his haid, - In de place wha de wool orter grow. - -Here and there on his face were little tufts of beard that looked like -tiny grains of popped corn. - -In about an hour the boatman turned the stern of his boat towards the -shore and pushed her on the beach at the foot of the garden back of the -dwelling—spanked the water with his paddle, and Ezra awoke, got out, -walked through the water bushes and soon was strolling along one of the -garden walks. He thought how strange it was in the month of June those -once leafless and carpet-like walks should be strewn with leaves; then -he noticed that the box hedges were ragged and in places had paths -through them; the grape arbors were decayed here and there and -tottering, and many grapevines were trailing over and embracing leafless -and dying peach and pear trees—— - - All that’s bright must fade, - The brightest still the fleetest; - All that’s sweet was made - But to be lost when sweetest! - -Only the birds seemed to care for and own this once enchanting and -beautiful garden, “warbled their native wood notes wild” and sang -hallelujahs to the morning-glories and other flowers. Acres of air were -filled with the delicious perfume of blooming grapevines, and the -canticles of birds. - -Ezra sank upon an old rustic seat and said again, “Mars Bedford say he -wud al’ays teck care ub me. I’m sorry I spent meh money and lef’ de -Souf, but I wan’ ter see Mars Matthew an’ Miss Mary once mo’,” and again -he took out that bandanna handkerchief. His solitude was broken by old -Sam’l, once one of the gardeners, the only servant that stayed when they -were emancipated. He had on his arm a basketful of cling peaches. He -said, “I s’pose you bin sorf crabbin’ ’long de sho’ an’ cum up heah ter -res’ yo’sef dis sweet, lubly day?” - -Ezra said: “I ain’ bin crabbin’, do’ I lubs crabbin’ an’ lubs crabs -futto eat. I’m jes’ fum de wah; fit in mos’ ev’y battle. Mars Bedford -Forrest _wuz wid me all de time_. Ub cose you hearn tell ub him.” - -Sam’l looked at him inquisitively, and said: - -“Now, hush!” - -And then Ezra’s face beamed, he recognized old Sam’l, and he said, “Don’ -you recommember me, Brer Sam? I’s Ezzy, Leetle Billy’s brudder, dat Mars -Matthew sold ter Mars Bedford befo’ de wah.” Whereupon they embraced. - -[Illustration: - - So by and by “Ezra” was bowing to and greeting Miss Mary. -] - -Ezra was very hungry, and soon commenced to eat up the peaches, when a -little darkey about three years old whom Sam’l said was his grandchild, -looked into the basket and said something that probably meant to ask for -peaches. Whereupon Ezra said: - -“Do de chile talk, Brer Sam?” - -Brer Sam’l said, “Well, I kyant tell ezactly; he mecks de sounds, but -kyant fo’m de wuds yit.” - -Then with timidity and a trembling voice he asked Sam’l for Mars Matthew -and Miss Mary. Sam’l said, “Losin’ he good an’ faithful serbents dat wuz -’swaded ’way, seein’ de lawn kivvered all de time wid twigs an’ leabes, -ev’ything goin’ ter wase, young Mars Matthew gittin’ kilt at Petersbu’g, -’stressed him so pow’ful dat he got so he cudn’ recommember anything; -fuh instinct, he wud fogit de tex’ befo’ he lef’ de chuch; he almos’ -fogot his A B C’s; den ergin, he wuz eighty years ole, an’ den he died. -Mistis ’structed Pawson Phil Demby, John Poney, Damon Danridge, Rasmus -Jemes an’ mehsef ter meck de toom. She wudn’ hab nobody else, an’ you -kyant ’magine how fine it look. - -“Ezzy, sence you bin ’way we has had uh gre’t preacher at Zion Chuch, -an’ we hab all got erligion an’ tu’n Presbyters; de shirks wuz so bad we -had ter gib up de Babtis’ erligion. Jes’ let me git annerr barsket ub -peaches, Ezzy, an’ den I’ll go up an’ tell Ole Mistis you’r heah, an’ -she will sho’ly see you.” - -Whilst Sam’l was gone, Ezra thought of the straw stacks he used to climb -and slide down, how his young Marster, killed at Petersburg, used to -drive Rasmus, Saul, Little Billy and himself tandem, all harnessed up -with sweet potato vines, and prancing with sheep-rib bits in their -mouths like colts. And then he recalled the colts he broke, gazed upon -the river where he used to wade the hunting horses along the beach to -wash and tone up their legs; then he thought of his brother, Little -Billy, his coon dog, Jasper, and of his boat, and wondered where they -all were. He wiped his eyes, took a chew of tobacco, when his crowded -thoughts were diverted by Sam’l’s return. So by and by Ezra was bowing -to and greeting his “Ole Mistis.” Thinking to condole with her and leave -the impression that he always thought his Marster of sound mind, he -said, “Miss Mary, people use ter say dat Mars Matthew wuz rash-nal, but -I nebber did think Mars Matthew wuz rash-nal.” - -The old lady could scarcely repress a smile, and told Ezra the quarter -where he was born and lived (on Heart’s Cove, a beautiful sheet of water -near the homestead and an arm of Miles River) should be renovated and -made comfortable as his home, and all that she required of him in his -declining years was to keep her in oysters, fish and crabs, an easy task -and eminently to the taste of Ezra. - -[Illustration: - - MARS ARTHUR. -] - -In a few days, helped by his young Marster Arthur, Ezra was comfortably -domiciled in his quarter on Heart’s Cove, and was very happy. He wished -he had ridden Pigeon home instead of giving her away; he missed her so. -He did not seem to worry about his wife the war had separated from him. -One day whilst he was chinking and fixing up his boat, which old Sam’l -had taken good care of, and singing lustily— - - “When Israel wuz in Egyp’ lan’; - Let meh people go; - Oppress’d so hyard dey cud not stan’; - Let meh people go; - Go down Moses, way down in Egyp’ lan’; - Tell ole Phario, - Let meh people go”— - -his young Marster Arthur, a lad of 15, who had already grown fond of -him, and found him always entertaining, took a seat near him, asked him -some questions about the South and if he saw anything of the war. - -“Who, me? Mars Bedford wuz wid _me_ an’ we fit mo’n uh hunard battles, I -specks, skirmages an’ all.” - -“Who do you mean by Mars Bedford?” - -“Why, Gen’l Forrest; de gre’tes’ warrior dat ebber libbed. Yo’ Pa sole -me ter him. He wuz jes’ Mistah Forrest dem days, an’ wuz uh private de -fus’ ub de wah; think ub dat! Well, when de wah broke out he tuck me fuh -one ub his bodyguard; dat is, ter guard his body an’ keep dem blue coats -’way. He had uh hunard an’ fifty men in his bodyguard, an’ I wuz rite -’side him, his serbent an’ waitah—an’ mo’n dat, wid him night an’ day, -ceppin in de battle; den I al’ays hilt his hoss when he fight on foot. -You see when de battle ’tall ornsartin he meck dat bodyguard git of’n -deah bosses an’ he draw dat big swo’d ub his’n an’ say, ‘Foller me,’ an’ -’mejately de blue coats see Mars Bedford an’ dat long swo’d ub his’n, -dey sho’ ter run, don’ meck no difference ef’n dey ez thick ez -grasshoppus. Some people say he cud look like uh goblin an’ tu’n inter -uh sperrit in uh han’-ter-han’ fight; once uh week he sharpen his swo’d -same ez uh raiser, an’ arfter his brudder got kilt (nebba saw uh man cry -so in meh life) he sharpen dat swo’d ev’y day an’ he say, ‘Ef’n dey don’ -s’render arfter I say s’render, I’ll cut de haids of’n ev’y one I gits -close ’nuff ter,’ and he did it, too.” - -“Now, Ezra!” - -“Young Marster, I hab seed too much sufferin’ an’ too much sorrow ter -meck fun ub it; mo’n dat, I’m gittin’ ter be uh ole man, an’ I wan’ meh -heb’nly Marster’s lub; so what I am tellin’ you is de truf. I will cross -meh hyart an’ bref uh thousan’ times ef’n you wan’ me ter.’ Then he was -contemplative for a moment, when he resumed chinking his boat and -singing— - - “Oh, cum ’long Moses, you’ll not git los’; - Let meh people go; - Stritch out yo’ rod an’ cum ercross; - Let meh people go.” - -“Stop singing, Uncle Ezzy, and go on with your story.” - -“Jes’ think ub dat chile callin’ me uncle. I’s gwine ter teck him -fishinin’ ev’y day wid me, an’ sorf crabbin’, too, when I gits dis boat -fix’. He is de ve’y spit ub Ole Mars. Well, young Marster, I wo’ uh gray -nuniform, an’ rode de bes’ mule in de Souf, name Pigeon. Some wha -erboutin Chrismus, 1862, close ter Lexington, Tenn., uh gre’t big kunnel -s’rendered ter Mars Bedford. He wuz almos’ skeered stiff, trem’lin’ like -uh aspine leaf, but when Mars Bedford say, smilin’, ‘You fellows didn’ -meck much ub uh fight,’ it gib dat kunnel condidence, an’ rite ’way he -look peart an’ say, ‘Gen’l, won’ you please exchange me soon?’ An’ Mars -Bedford say, ‘Yas; go an’ git me de bes’ mule in yo’ cumman’, an’ I’ll -exchange you fuh de mule.’ Dat’s how I got Pigeon. Befo’ dat I had uh -wufless, lazy hoss, an’ Mars Bedford wanted ev’ything lively ’roun’ him. -Den ergin, I carried uh coffeepot, jes’ big ’nuff fuh _me_ and Mars -Bedford, sugah, coffee, hard-tack, blackin’, blackin’ brush, soap an’ -towels, an’ sich like. De Gen’l tied strings ’roun’ de bottoms ub uh -heavy par ub canvas pants, an’ I stuffed deah legs full, tell dey jes’ -strut out; den I put dem straddle Pigeon’s back an’ tied ’em ter de -saddle so ef’n de amblabus wuz behin’ I had ’nuff perwissions fuh Mars -Bedford an’ me tell de amblabus cum up. Pigeon, she al’ays kep’ up. De -mammy ub dat mule mus’ uh bin uh thurrybred, she wuz al’ays peart an’ -fresh; de fac’ is, da wan’ much jackass erbout huh; she nebber blowed -huh trumpet ’ceppin she horngry. When I got ev’ything on meh ahmy -saddle, front an’ back, de pack wuz erbout up ter meh shoulders when I -sot in de saddle, but den ergin, it didn’ pester me, kase I wuz almos’ -settin’ in uh bungproof. - -“Pigeon wuz ve’y feard ub watah (da sut’ny wuz no Babtis’ blood in huh) -an’ dat mecks me think ub what dey call de Streight raid. It wuz in -April, 1863. Mars Bedford had been fightin’ consonly fuh days, an’ de -hosses an’ men hadn’ slep’ fuh two nights, ’ceppin in de saddle, an’ had -nuffin ter eat. Mars Bedford picked up uh box ub crackers, put dem in -his amblabus an’ divided ’em wid his men. Da wan’ uh thing in meh pants -legs futto eat, ’twuz ’zausted. Befo’ tryin’ ter cross what dey call -Black Creek de Gen’l made uh speech ter his men, callin’ fuh all dat wuz -willin’ ter cross; all ’sponded ’ceppin de men asleep in deah saddles, -_an’ I wuz one ub ’em_. Gen’l Streight wuz retretin’ jes’ ez fars’ ez he -cud, an’ cross ober an’ bu’nt de bridge ober Black Creek. De creek wuz -muddy, swollen, deep an’ dangersome. Mars Bedford wuz meddotatin’ how -ter cross, an’ de sharpshooters wuz firin’ fum de udder side. Seberal -ladies walked up, an’ one ub ’em erbout sebenteen year ole, say, ‘Whose -cumman’ is dis?’ an’ somebody said, ‘De advance ub Gen’l Forrest’s -cavelry.’ She wuz all stirred up, an’ she say, ‘Pint Gen’l Forrest out,’ -an’ when dey pinted him out she made such uh curchysy she mos’ swep’ de -groun’, wiped wid huh ap’on de pusspuration fum huh face and said, ‘Dear -Gen’l Forrest an’ brabe soldiers, I know ub an ole ford neah heah, -erboutin uh harf mile ’way, an’ ef’n I had uh mount I cud teck you rite -ter de ford. We hab no hosses; dem blue coats teck ’em all. De way is -th’oo briars an’ fallen trees an’ drif’wood an’ sich like. I kyant walk -well in it.’ Den Mars Bedford say, ‘I will put you up behin’ me, my -chile.’ Then huh ma say, ‘No! No! meh daughter; you mout git kilt, an’ -you is meh only yew lam’.’ Den Mars Bedford say, drappin’ dem sorf eyes -ub his’n on huh an’ lookin’ ez fine ez uh cherrypin er serrypin, ‘Git up -behin’ me fum dis fallen tree.’ Den huh mudda almos’ hab spavins, but -she clum up on dat hoss. Mars Bedford call fuh uh scout an’ ’way he -went. Ub cose I wuz wid him; jumpin’ logs, tearin’ up de briars an’ -weeds. Arfter dey had gone boutin uh harf mile, Miss Emma, dat wuz huh -name, say, ‘Stop, Gen’l Forrest, dis heah ravine runs down ter dat ford -an’ de ford runs dis way: =>= .’ Den dey got off an’ walked ter de -ribba, but de watah wuz so high an’ so muddy dey cudn’ see de ford; but -she say, ‘It’s bin heah ev’y sence I wuz uh baby. I know almos’ ev’y -rock in it an’ ezac’ly wha it is.’ Den I heah bang! bang! bang! and den -erboutin fo’ty bangs, an’ heah cum de bullets. I wuz peepin’ wid Pigeon -fum behin’ uh big rock. _Oh, I wuz al’ays wid him._ Den I heah Miss Emma -say, ‘Gen’l stan’ behin’ me; dey won’ shoot me.’ Mars Bedford say, ‘Git -behin’ dat rock an’ stay da tell I cum fuh you.’ Den Mars Bedford teck -out his spyglass an’ spied all ’roun’ an’ he heah some twigs crackin’ -behin’ him, an’ he looked ’roun’, an’ da wuz dat chile almos’ in his -footprints. De Gen’l’s eyes almos’ spit fire, an’ his mouf trimbled. Den -he say, jes’ like he orderin’ uh charge, ‘Stay behin’ dat rock!’ Den she -say, ‘Gen’l, I wuz fear’d you mout be wounded, an’ I wanted ter be neah -you.’ Den he sot down befo’ de rock—me an’ Pigeon wuz behin’—tu’n’d his -sorf eyes up ter de sky an’ say, ’_De worl’ kyant whup us wid sech -women!_’[18] Pres’ny he holped huh up de ravine—all de time de -sharpshooters wuz firin’, an’ some ub de balls wen’ th’oo huh dress—an’ -when she got up de ravine she say, ‘Dey jes’ wounded meh crin’line!’ an’ -she tuck orf huh sunbonnet an’ shuck it at ’em. Gen’l Forrest sant her -back ter tell de res’ ub de cumman’ ter cum, artil’ry fus’. Almos’ befo’ -dey got ter de ford dey limbered up, fired uh few bung-shots, an’ dem -blue coats soon lef’ dat ford. Den Mars Bedford tole one ub his officers -ter teck uh regiment an’ hole dat ford, and dey hilt it. Ev’ything wuz -ready, an’ Mars Bedford started erhaid ober de ford, when Miss Emma call -him back, almos’ cryin’, and she say, ‘You’r gwine ’rong; you see de -ford run dis way: =>= .’ Den she clum er rock an’ say, ‘Lemmy git up in -front ub you an’ show de way.’ De Gen’l say, ‘No; git up behin’; dey -mout shoot you.’ An’ she say, ‘No; I mus’ ride in front, hab de reins, -so dat I meck no mustake.’ Den Mars Bedford teck orf his nuniform coat, -fold an’ put it in front ub him, den he teck orf his felt hat an’ put it -on de coat, an’ she jump on jes’ ez spry ez uh colt, an’ he say ter his -soldiers, ‘Follow me.’ His scout, Mars Torm, wuz one ub de fus’ ter -follow. Mars Bedford stop his hoss an’ say, ‘You kyant go; yo’ ahm is -badly shot an’ broken; you is not fit ter fight er swim.’ So den he wuz -orf ergin. De hosses wuz neighin’, de creek wuz twissin’, rum’lin’ an’ -tum’lin’, de hosses stoppin’, stum’lin’, an’ backin’ jes’ de same ez -ef’n ’twuz dark. I cudn’ say nuffin but meh prayers, an’ I mos’ choke -sayin’ dem. Mo’n dat, Pigeon she wuz carryin’ on high, jes scan’lus; -wudn’ eben put huh feet in de watah. De watah wuz so high dey had ter -teck de caissions orf, an’ de soldiers waded wid de powder on deah -shoulders. It tuck two hours ter cross, but bless Gord, dey all got -ober. Befo’ dey got harf way ’cross Mrs. Sanson, Miss Emma’s mudda, wuz -at de ford, an’ she wuz almos’ ’zausted fum walkin’ th’oo de briars an’ -tangled bushes.” - -[Illustration: - - MISS EMMA. DAT WUZ HUH NAME. -] - -Ezra commenced again to chink his boat, singing— - - “You’ll not git los’ in de wilderness; - Let meh people go; - Wid uh lighted can’le in yo’ bres’; - Let meh people go.” - -Arthur was by this time intensely interested, and after Ezra had bitten -off a fresh chew of tobacco, said, “Well, what then?” - -“Well, den Mars Bedford rode back wid Miss Emma, got orf his hoss, tuck -her down—I nebba saw him so ’cited an’ hainsome. Den he mounted, tuck -orf his hat, kissed his han’, jes’ so, an’ soon he wuz dashin’ up de -hill ter jine his troops. Mars Torm, po’ feller, did look so ’stressed -ter be lef’ behin’. - -“When Mars Bedford wan’ talkin’ his eyes jes’ ez sorf ez uh ’possum’s, -but when he wuz serioussum an’ opened his mouf, da wan’ no apples in his -eyes, nuffin but fire, an’ when he tole his favorite scout, Mars Torm, -ter stay back, he jes’ tuck root on dat spot. - -“He wuz uh ve’y curisome man; fuh instinc’, he had uh swo’d made jes’ -futto suit hissef. It wan’ quite ez long ez uh fence-rail, but mos’ -nighly; you wudn’ think he wud cut blue coats haids orf but he wud. It’s -so curisome—he wuz so gentle an’ he talk so sorf, but den ergin his -eyes, when he on uh scout er charge, jes’ like uh fish-hawk’s. -How-some-ebba, I once heah ole Mars Nickey say uh race hoss dat prances -an’ bucks an’ goes ev’y which way at de pos’—jes’ like uh dug-out in -rough watah—ain’ no race hoss; dey th’ow up deah tails befo’ dey go two -miles. But de nice quiet ones like de fo-mile hosses Mars Matthew use -ter own, when dey at de pos’ you’d s’pose dey habin’ deah pictur taken. -Well, Mars Bedford wuz sho’ly uh fo’-miler in his ways, an’ he al’ays -had his way, too. - -“Mrs. Sanson inwited Mars Torm ter meck huh house his home tell he git -well; mo’n dat, she spressify huhsef dat she al’ays lubbed ter nuss -Cornfederates. Den she look at Pigeon an’ me an’ say, ‘I kin teck good -care ub you, too, an’ yo’ mule. Peter, Simon an’ Nancy is ve’y ole, so -you kin holp ’em ter milk de cows, chu’n de butter an’ pick de -strawberries. Young Marster, I stayed da fuh two weeks, until de watah -fell in Black Creek. I got fat, so did Pigeon, an’ den I crossed de -creek an’ jined Mars Bedford. - - “’Twuz jes’ erboutin harves’ time; - Let meh people go; - When Joshua led his hos’ divine; - Let meh people go.” - -“Oh, go on, Uncle Ezzy.” - -“Well, in erboutin free monfs Mars Torm, de scout, jined us. He looked -fat an’ slick, an’ Gen’l Forrest lubbed an’ ’spected him so he kissed -him. He didn’ kiss me, but I wud uh kissed him.” - -Between you and me, kind reader, after greeting General Forrest, “Mars -Torm” hurried to his humble hammock. His thoughts were more of “Black -Creek” than the tented field. From a pocket in his gray jacket he pulled -out and fondly kissed a daguerreotype. When he opened it a pressed rose -leaf fell out. It may have been the rose leaf which a dear kind hand had -placed between the pages she loved to read to him, and the mate to the -one he had. He sank into his hammock, and the tranquil twilight saw him -weeping, and then reciting: - -[Illustration: - - MARS TORM. - - (From a time-worn photograph.) - - His thoughts were more of “Black Creek” than the tented field. -] - - “Between two songs of Petrarch, - I’ve a purple rose leaf prest, - More sweet than common rose leaves, - For it once lay in her breast. - When she gave me that her eyes were wet, - The rose was full of dew; - The rose is withered long ago— - The page is blistered, too. - - “One night we sat below the porch, - And out in that warm air, - A firefly, like a dying star, - Fell tangled in her hair; - But I kissed him lightly off again, - And he glittered up the vine, - And died into the darkness——” - -A bugle sounded. Forrest was in the saddle. The scout’s reverie was -over. - -“Well, de nex’ big fight wuz at what dey call ‘Brice’s Cross Roads;’ -dat’s de place Mars Bedford had uh spavin [fainted] fuh one hour. I -fanned him consonly wid meh hat; he had de gre’tes’ condidence in me. At -uh place call ‘Ripley’, a few days befo’ dis fight, uh farmer sant what -dey call in Mississippi, mountain oysters ter Mars Bedford. Dey ain’ -nuffin ter Eastern Sho’ oysters; some people say dat Mars Bedford eat -too many an’ dey gib him de spavin, but I know dat ain’ so. I wuz -waitin’ on de table an’ stan’in’ rite behin’ him, an’ arfter helpin’ -Gen’l Beauford an’ Gen’l Rucker he stir dat soup fuh mo’n five minutes -befo’ uh mountain oyster cum on top. Den I say, ‘Dar’s one, Marster,’ -an’ he tu’n an’ gimmy uh look wid dem eagle eyes ub his’n dat meck me -trimble. I know what meck him sick, an’ I’m gwine ter tell you. De -fightin’ wuz so furisome dat Gen’l Forrest say ter his bodyguard, -‘Dismount; draw yo’ swo’ds an’ foller me,’ an’ when de blue coats seed -Mars Bedford, ’way dey went. Well, he had so few men ’long side de blue -coats, dat not uh man cud be spared ter go an’ git watah, so Mars -Bedford felt so thusty an’ weary dat he drunk de powder watah fum de -sponge bucket, an’ dat’s what gib him dat spavin. - -“Honey, you ain’ but fifteen years ole, so Brer Sam’l say, an’ ef’n I -wuz ter tell you how many wuz kilt an’ wounded in dat fight it might -meck you see ghoses an’ witches in yo’ sleep, an’ keep you fum growin’. -I hilt Gen’l Forrest’s hoss, Pigeon an’ two other hosses when he -dismounted, an’ ’pears ter me de hosses looked ’stressed, da wuz so many -kilt on bof sides. Now, dat’s all I’m gwine ter tell you erboutin -battles. - -“Young Marster, chillun musn’ know too much. Fuh instinct, yistiddy I -wuz chinkin’ dis boat (an’ I gwine ter name huh Miss Emma) when Mars -Jimmy’s chillun cum erlong gwine home fum school; dey clum all ober me, -an’ pres’ny one ub ’em say, ‘Uncle Ezzy, what is uh vulgar fraction?’ Ub -cose, I had ter tell de truf, so I say, ‘Hit’s somethin’ little boys an’ -girls musn’ talk erbout.’ - -[Illustration: - - Uncle Ezzy, what is a vulgar fraction? - - Ub cose, I had ter tell de truf, so I say hit’s somethin’ little boys - an’ girls mus’n’ talk erbout. -] - -“In May, 1865, we all s’rendered at Gainesville, Alabama. Mars Bedford -gib me Pigeon an’ money ter cum home wid ef’n I wanted ter. Fuh fo’ days -I hunted ’roun’ Gainesville ’mong de troops futto fine Mars Torm. I -knew’d he lib near Rome, Georgia, an’, ub cose, he had ter ride de same -road I did, so I wanted him ter let me ride ez far ez Mrs. Sanson’s wid -him. Dem sweet people wuz so kine ter me I wuz gwine ter gib ’em Pigeon; -mo’n dat, I wuz feard ter ride by mebsef in uh gray nuniform fum -Gainesville ter Black Creek, erboutin two hunard miles. How-some-ebba, I -’cluded ter ride jes’ at night, an’ bless Gord, in erbout uh week I -struck Black Creek ford horngry an’ tired. De birds wuz singin’, roostus -crowin’, hens uh cacklin’ an’ de watah in de creek ez clear ez uh -jewdrap, an’ Pigeon she jes’ nach’ly went in de watah kase she seed Mrs. -Sanson’s house—wuz horngry an’ ve’y tired. I wuzn’ watchin’ de mule, an’ -de fus’ thing I knewed Pigeon gib uh monstus buck an’ mos’ jumped of’n -de ford in dat deep watah; den she tuck uh good look wid huh ears an’ -went ’long—-an’ what you s’pose frighten’d dat mule? He! he! he! he! dar -sot on uh plank ’tween two rocks Mars Torm (no wunna I cudn’ fine him) -an’ Miss Emma fishin’ in de deep watah at de foot ub de ford. I meck -bleebe I didn’ see ’em, _an’ dey sut’ny didn’ see me_; you see dey wuz -fishin’. When I got ’cross de ford, Pigeon wuz so tired she stop an’ -res’, an’ I watch to see ef’n de fish bitin’, kase I wuz al’ays fond ub -fishin’, and I heah Mars Torm say, in words ez sorf ez dem riffles, ‘I -lub dis creek; de watah so repose, an’ cums twissin’ in dis big pool -gittin’ stiller an’ stiller tell it seems ter stop, res’ an’ be so -happy. Oh, ef’n meh hyart wuz ez happy ez dis stream! It chatters, an’ -sings, an’ smiles, an’ baves itself in de sunlight; it looks so -contented, but I am so sad’—an’ he did look rejected. Den Miss Emma open -huh cherrypin mouf an’ say raal sorf, ‘What’s de mattah; yo’ ole woun’ -hurt you?’ An’ he say, ‘No; it’s de new woun’; I mus’ leabe ter-morrow, -so I mus’ tell you dat yo’ sweet eyes, lubly hyart, beautiful, brabe -soul has ’chanted me ev’y sence I fus’ saw you, an’ I wan’ ter arsk -befo’ I go, dear Miss Emma, dat you will let me lub you. I don’ arsk you -ter lub me.’ Jes’ de way I use ter cote—He! He! He! ’ceppin I use ter -say: - - “Roses red, wiolets blue, - Sugah sweet, me too.” - -“Den Mars Torm spressify, ‘Fuh free monfs, dear hyart, I et yo’ bread -an’ butter’—an’ I think he say mullasses—‘an’ ter-morrow I go ter seek -meh fortune, an’ ef’n Gord prospers me, I shall arsk you to meck meh -life ’chanted.’ Den she say, ez sorf ez de note ub uh _martingale_, -‘Thormas.’ Den he say, ‘Angel, did you say Thormas?’ An’ she say, ‘Yes; -meh brabe an’ gentle’—an’ rite ’way ’pears ter me dey bof had on dat big -sunbonnet ub her’n; an’ wussa yit, de two fishin’ rods wid deah reels -wuz floatin’ down dat ribba, ober an’ ober de riffles. Dey wuz fogot -when dem two chillun said yes ter one nerr. - -“Well, ’pears ter me all ub uh sudden I got so sleepy dat I put meh ahms -’roun’ Pigeon’s neck (she wuz use ter dat) an’ went ter sleep. Bimeby I -woke up wid uh curisome an’ mos’ quaresome feelin’. Bless de Lawd, I -tho’t uh jack-uh-ma-lantern had got me, sho’. Dem chilluns wuz feelin’ -so peart an’ sassy dat dey tied erroun’ meh neck uh live eel dey had -kotch, an’ I wudn’ fogit er fogib ’em ter dis day ’ceppin dey wuz in lub -an’ I wuz uh lissinin.’ Honey, I wuz skeard stiff. Bung shells wuz -nuffin ter dat. - -“Dey wuz all so kin’ at Mrs. Sanson’s (de Lawd bless dem people) I -stayed dar two weeks res’in’, an’ den dey sent me ter Rome, Georgy, -futto teck de train fuh ‘Fairlands.’ When I got in de kerridge ’long -side Simon, Miss Emma say, ‘Dear me, Ezra, what is you gwine ter do wid -Pigeon?’ So I say, larffin’ an’ sassy like, ‘I gib huh ter you, Miss -Emma, an’ Mars Torm, fuh uh weddin’ present.’ Mars Thormas smile an’ -say, ‘You scan’lus ole scamp.’” - -In his narrative dear old Ezra showed wonderful memory, but forgot to -mention that in that hour of anguish, whilst crossing Black Creek, as -the waters got deeper and deeper, finally up to the flanks of the -horses, Mrs. Sanson sank upon her knees and with wrinkled, aged and -uplifted hands, said: - -“From lightning and tempest, from plague, pestilence and famine, from -battle and murder, and from sudden death. - -“_Good Lord deliver us._” - - -Early in the spring of 1866 Ezzy frequently paddled his canoe over to -“Woodstock,” where in a cabin on the riverside lived Jerry and Ceasar -Butler, old bachelor brothers. Their sister Cassey, a widow of some six -months, was their guest. The brothers for the most part lived out on the -water, oystering, fishing and crabbing. Cassey liked her surroundings so -much that her visit was now three months long, and she interested -herself mostly in raising chickens and ducks. The dusky damsels in the -neighborhood said Cassey was going to marry Brer Snake Bit Jim, a hand -on Captain Stitchberry’s schooner, the “Margaret Jane,” and he had been -keeping company, as they expressed it, with her for about five months. -She was the loudest singer in Zion church, a _wholesale_ Baptist, and -walked in the water like a pious one when immersion time came, and some -uncharitable people said that when she came home from meeting chickens -had better roost high. Though twenty years younger than Ezra, his war -stories and adventures charmed her. She thought him a hero and soon they -were betrothed. Ezra was not one of the slow-paced sort. - -Ezra’s young Marster was very much annoyed at the idea of his marrying -Cassey. He knew her to be self-willed and high tempered, and told Ezra -that if he brought her to Fairlands he would charge him $25 a year for -his quarter and ten acres; but Ezra was too fond of telling war tales -and having a listener that almost smothered him with caresses when he -told of hair-breadth escapes. So one bright May day Parson Phil Demby -pronounced them man and wife—his third wife. - -Ezra made a living crabbing, fishing, oystering and cultivating a little -grain. He was an expert angler, and if a dinner was given by any of the -gentry between May and November and a boiling rock wanted, Ezra was -notified and he would be sure to catch the rock. He loved children and -children loved him. If the overseers’ little ones wanted to go fishing, -they would go to the garden and in sight of him commence to dig worms -and when they reached the bateau, he would be there bailing or shoving -her from shore. Soon he would add sufficient peelers and soft crabs to -the bate, and then to the hurdle. Ezra’s pole, some eighteen feet long, -was of cedar growth, with the bark stripped off; a coarse line and cork -about the size of a duck egg, and when he gave a grunt and slashed it -out, the water almost surged; but somehow or other, the fish, and good -ones, too, loved his bait. “Ef’n you chilluns don’ stop er talkin’ an’ -rockin’ dis boat I’ll paddle straight home. You pester de fish so dey -won’ bite, an’ hit ’stresses me pow’ful.” - -Autumn came and he did not find his quarter as happy as formerly. As a -consequence, he spent a great deal of his time at the mansion. Even the -solemn and sour old maiden housekeeper, Miss Betsy, whose apron strings -were strung with keys and who for forty years had lived at Fairlands, -was indulgent, and welcomed him. One day I came upon him cleaning her -bird cage and singing over and over: - - “Tell me a dream, M-a-r-y, - Tell me a dream; - My Lawd, de King ub Manuel.” - -I said, “Why don’t those canaries lay?” - -“Miss Betsy say dey bof boys,” was his reply. - -The cook liked him, and he liked her more than he did Cassey. He often -toted for her baskets of chips to make the fire burn brightly, put on -the big back logs, and turned the turkey in the tin kitchen. Twice a -week on winter nights he was sent for to beat the hominy in the big -mortar. When he grew weary of the iron pestle, and wanted to chaff -some servant, he would say, “I sut’ny does lub ter beat dis -hominy—a—heh—heh—heh,” and then we boys would “spell” him and he would -praise our industry until we nearly collapsed from fatigue. - -“O, call back yesterday; bid time return.” - - -He had a local reputation for his original sayings and deserved it. For -example: “You kyant eat uh hoecake but once;” “All moufs mus’ eat, but -all moufs kyant eat gravel;” “Ev’y man’s mouf ain’ uh prayer book;” “Uh -case orntried is hyard ter justify;” etc., but from being chaffed by the -young men at the “Royal Oak” and St. Michaels, towns near by, where he -sold his crabs and fish, and bought fishhooks and tobacco, had become -somewhat shy and reticent. - -One cold and windy day in December I started for Wild Goose Marsh, -famous as snipe ground, with the view of burning the same. So to fully -enjoy Ezra’s confidence and to get him to talk freely, I put a -half-dollar in his hand, invited him to stop shucking oysters and go -with me to the marsh and assist in burning the same. His young Marster’s -pointers, “Rob Roy” and “Rose,” whom he had adopted and who had adopted -him, were lying in his boat. He expatiated a few moments upon the -“quaresomeness ub snipe an’ jack-uh-ma-lanterns,” and then got in my -carriage. Meantime I was taking in his raiment. He said, “I’m not dress -up, kase I’m shuckin’ oysters.” He wore an old dressing gown some one -had given him in the long ago. It must have had twenty patches from the -size of a blacking box up to a tin plate. His vest, from patches, was of -many colors; it was fastened with seven buttons, and no two of them -alike. One foot was shod, and the other wrapped in an old piece of -carpet. “Meh cawns hu’t me so,” he said. He was smaller and more bent -than ever, and extremely interesting. A drink of applejack and a good -lunch, the brilliancy of the burning marsh and my interest in him made -him very loquacious. With apparent earnestness I said, “Uncle Ezra, how -long have you lived on this estate?” - -“Who, me! Bawn heah erboutin uh hunard year ago. I cum outin de Hollyday -fambly. Ole Mars’ grabe is ober dar wha you see dem willows weepin’. -Dar’s uh gre’t big slab ober de grabe, an’ on hit is uh passel ub A. B. -C.’s an’ uh anker, wid stars an’ eagles an’ little grapevines all -erroun’ ’em. Mars Pinckney say, ‘Dat’s what dey call in dem days de coat -ub mail.’ His wuz uh gre’t fambly, an’ Mars Thormas wuz uh cap’n an’ fit -an’ wuz kilt in de Resolutionary Wah.” - -“Are you sure of that, Uncle Ezzy?” - -“’Cose I is. I heah Phil Demby’s fadda say dat he holp ter put him in de -amblabus when he wuz shot. He saw de British what shot him, an’ de ve’y -bungshot dat hit him. Boss, what glorisome days dem wuz. I kin -recommember ’em mehsef. Dese days ’pears ter me dey is spilin’ ev’ything -by changin’. An’ hits ergin de Scripturs. Fuh instinct, when I wuz uh -young man de Mefodis’ ’roun’ heah use ter hab what dey call meetin’ -houses; dey use ter shout an’ moan, an’ moan an’ shout pow’ful. Dey -cummence ter pray at fus’ sorf, an’ den deah voice got so strong -toreckly you cud heah ’em uh mile orf. An’ de chunes wuz so fine, dey -didn’ stop at de corners; dey jes’ swong ’roun’; dey cud turn deah -voices same ez uh whirl-win’ an’ ter play de fiddle, dance, er hab uh -melojin wuz cornsidered ornry an’ onricheous, an’ hit wuz, too. But in -dese days ev’ything is changed in all de chuches, ’ceppin de Babtis’; de -only change de Babtis’ made is ter babtize regular in fresh watah in -Cap’n Tomlinson’s mill pon’, _’ceppin jes’ befo’ dey cut ice_. You see -dey had ter gib up salt watah, de shirks wuz so bad. Mo’n dat, de Bible -don’ spressify salt watah. Den ergin Pawson Demby tuck de shirk fright -an’ de consequasion wuz he hilt several pussons down too long. Tilly -Mink got erligion an’ wuz thinkin’ boutin it so much (jes’ persidderin -hit all de time) dat she fogot ter teck outin her dress some apples dat -wuz swotuated in huh pocket. Well, Pawson Demby hilt her un’er so long -dat she pawed de bottom; almos’ tore huh dress orf, an’ she mout erbin -hilt un’er de watah tell she wuz drowned, but she got holt Pawson -Demby’s legs, an’ fuh erwhile it ’peared like she wuz babtizin’ him. -Brer Billy los’ his specks lars’ spring, so cudn’ see good, an’ when he -seed de apples uh bobbin’ up, I s’pose he tho’t dey wuz sperrits, kase -he sung out ter Pawson Demby, ‘Jes’ gib huh annubba dip, Pawson Demby, -huh sins is cummin’ up fum huh in clustahs;’ but Pawson Demby lef’ well -ernuff be well ernuff. Kase Tilly Mink nebba did hab much erligion, an’ -when she seed dat distructed frock an’ dem kyart-house apples dat we all -knew’d growed in Ole Mars’ archard, huh ’ligion lef’ huh jes’ ez fars ez -she got it. Huh hyah riz on huh haid, an’ she talked jes’ scan’lous, an’ -’lowed she gwine ter jine de Presbyters. Well, hit may be fuh de bes’, -but uh case orntried is hyard ter jestify.” - -“Yas, sah; ev’ything is changed. Ebin Mefodis’ preachers an’ de elders, -shuh. Dey struts an’ prances erroun’ same ez colts an’ tukkey gobblers -in de spring, an’ hits dribin uh lot ub ’em ter distruction. All moufs -ain’ prayer books, boss. Hit’s de same thing wid dem Presbyters dat -Tillie’s gwine ter jine, an’ when it cums ter de ’Piscopaliums hit’s -wussa yit. Up heah at St. Thormasses dey bu’n insects in what dey call -uh—I fogit de name—an’ dem preachers dat kyant talk good—an’ mos’ ub ’em -kyant—dey sorter sing what dey talkin’. I heah Cap’n Stitchberry’s brer -say who halls de sain—an’, ub cose, he er Babtis’—dat ef’n Ole Mars wuz -erlive an’ went ter St. Thormasses, he wudn’ no wha he wuz, kase dey -bows like uh passel ub muscovy drakes. Boss, dem muscoves is quaresome -ducks. T’other day I saw Brer Sam’s boy, Rasmus, bowin’ ter uh passel ub -muscovy drakes an’ dey wuz bowin’ ter him. So I say ter de boy, ‘What -you doin’ ter dem ducks?’ - -“‘Talkin’ drake talk.’ - -“‘Well, what de ducks say?’ - -“‘I dunno, but _dey_ do!’ - -“All dis changin’ business is ergin de Bible, too. Lars’ Sunday Pawson -Demby preached erbout hit. His tex’ wuz fum de Profit Jerry-Myah: ‘Kin -uh Ethiopium change his skin er uh leopard his spots?’ An’ Pawson Demby -say ’twuz ornpossible. - -“Jes’ befo’ Chrismus I went ter Easton wid uh load ub Chrismus trees, -an’ one ub de fus’ things I seed wuz uh lubly lookin’ young Mistis -dribin uh cullud pusson; he wuz uh settin’ behin’ huh wid his ahms -folded, all dress up an’ smilin’ same ez uh ole gray goose smilin’ on uh -gander. Well, I nebba ’spected ter lib ter see uh change like dat. Fac’ -is, mos’ all de ladies ’roun’ heah gittin’ changed, an’ ve’y sassy, -tryin’ ter be like de men. Fuh instinct, dar is uh lady doctor an’ uh -lady lawyer, dey tells me, in Balt’mo’. Think ub dat! An’ hit’s all -ergin de’ structions ub Gen’sis, Rebullation, Jerry-Myah, Noahy an’ I -’specks all ub de profits. Kase de Bible say dat ’ooman kyant ebin pray -in publuc. Boss, da ain’ no use talkin’, fum de cricket an’ grasshopper -clean up ter man, de male de gre’tes’ an’ bes’ lookin’. Dar’s uh little -Jinny Wren settin’ on dat reed singin’ beau’ful. Now, ain’ hit s’prisin’ -wha he git dat voice fum dat you kin heah ’cross de ribba; hit sut’ny is -strange. Well, dat he wren, don’ he look peart; an’ he is peart, too. He -kin meck uh hawk hide hissef. You see he’s de male. Well, look at dat -cock sparrow; don’ de hen look meek ’long side him? Boss, I’m gwine ter -teck mos’ ev’ything dat wuz in de yark, ter show dat ladies musn’ try -ter be men, an’ change deahsebs. Hit kyant be did any mo’ dan you kin -gib de female birds de feathers ub de males. I s’pose de bobolink is de -mos’ dress up ub all birds, fuh he changes his clothes twice uh yeah, -an’ when he got on dat beau’ful spring suit ub his’n his wives do -clustah erroun’ him. De cock partridge (some people call ’em Bob White), -de oriole, pigeon, teal duck, tukkey, canlas-back duck, woodpecker, -red-wing blackbird, de wood-duck, tu beau’ful futto kill; how lubly de -males is ’long side de females. Den ergin, pursidder de roostus; don’ -matter ef’n dey shankhy, banty, game, er what not, dey’r boun’ ter hab -lubly feathers all streaked an’ striped same ez dem cattle dat Jacob, de -father ub de Petracks, owned. Mo’n dat, ef’n two roostus fight, de one -dat whups jes’ crows, flaps his wings, an’ heah cums his wives an’ de -udder roostah’s wives all runnin’ off wid him. Dat’s jes’ de way de -ladies ’roun’ heah runs arfter Mars Pinckney.” - -Ezra seemed much pleased with his talk, and with a wisp of burning grass -in each hand, continued to fire the marsh, and for the moment forgot my -presence and sang: - - “We cum ter dis worl’ bof naked an’ bare, - We al’ays goes thoo it wid sorrow an’ care; - We go when we die de Lawd only nose wha’; - Ef’n you’r uh thurrybred heah, yo’ll be uh thurrybred da.” - -Pretending to entirely dissent with Ezra and to keep him interested and -talkative, I said, “Well, how about robins, doves, mocking birds, jack -snipe, woodcock and other birds where the male and female are alike?” - -“Well, boss, Mars Pinckney say ef’n you gib de birds you kyant tell -erbout uh wumm, ef’n _he_ takes it hit’s uh he, an ef’n _she_ takes it -hit’s uh she.” - -“How about owls, Ezra; they look alike, and they don’t eat worms?” - -“Well, Noahy, dey tell me, name him de bird ub wissum, an’ ub cose made -him wise, an’ de female kyant fool him, _like dey mos’ gen’ly kin de -males_. Fuh instinct, when de female owls think deahsebs smart—bin out -all night an’ talkin’ in condidence ’mong deahsebs erbout it—de male, -ef’n he deceitful (_an’ some males is_), kin lissen an’ nod his haid -jes’ same ez ef he wuz uh sleep an’ meck bleebe he uh lady owl, an by -an’ by all unbenonsted ter de lady owl, fine out ef’n his wife bin uh -tootin’ an’ uh hootin’ erroun’. Mo’n dat, he mout erbin keepin’ comp’ny -hissef all night wid some sassy lady owl. _Dar’s wha his wissum cum in._ - -“S’pose de gentlemens an’ ladies look jes’ like one nerr an’ dress up de -same, Lawdy, by an’ by heah wud cum judgment day sho’ nuff, an’ we wud -soon burhol dis worl’ on fire an’ uh cislin’. So hit won’ do fuh dem ter -look de same, an’ we don’ wan’ no changin’, deed we don’; we wants de -males ter look proud an’ prancin’ all de time, an’ de females ter burhol -’em an’ not look sassy. I mos’ fogot one ub de lubliest ub de fowls, dat -will meck meh sponsibility stronger—dat’s de peacock. When de peacock -spreads his tail in de spring an’ looks his peartest, dey tells me -sometimes de hens git too po’ ter lay; dey so in lub dey jes’ eat -nuffin; jes’ meddowtate an’ look at deah mates struttin’ erbout. Da ain’ -nuffin like uh peacock’s tail ’ceppin sometimes in de fall when de dew -is ve’y heavy an’ sorter fog-like an’ fros’-like, jes’ uh little missy, -an’ heah cum de sun risin’; an’ when hit strikes de trees, bushes an’ -wines full ub dat fog, fros’ an’ mis’, da ain’ no rainbow er peacock’s -tail kin hole uh can’le ter it, I don’ keah who raises de peacock. Well, -boss, I am sho’ you see de application, but strange futto say, Mars -Pinckney, wid all his wissum an’ pursidderin’, is, ’pears ter me, on de -fence. Natchelly, ub cose, he is s’pose ter change kase he got so many -sweethyarts. He is ve’y fon’ ub fishin’ wid me. One day we wuz fishin’ -fuh rock an’ tailor an’ waitin’ fuh de tide ter tu’n. I rents meh house -fum him. I don’ al’ays pay at de lars’ ub de monf, er de lars’ ub nex’ -monf, an’ I owed him so much rent I wuz mos’ ’fear’d ter argue wid him -an’ talk ter him wid all meh soul erboutin dis changin’ business ’roun’ -heah, an’ ub de lubliness ub de male in contras’ ter de female; but I -did it. Well, den he say, sorter snuffin’ meh composation orf, ‘Ezra, -you no mo’ erbout sorf crabs, fish an’ watahmillions dan you do erbout -things changin’.’ Den he say, ‘Don’ people all erroun’ heah change -money, change deah names when dey git merried? Don’ de watah we fish in -change fum ebb tide ter flood? Eggs ter chickens, sinnahs ter moaners, -sun, moon, win’ an’ seasons change. De acorn changes ter de oak, peach -stone ter de peach tree. Wumms ter butterflies.” - -“Ezra, your Mars Pinckney is right. That’s the long and short of it. -Your Parson changed baptizing in salt water for fresh water. You have -confessed it, and you are changing all the time. Your hair was once -black, now it is white. To-day is bright, cold, windy and sunny. -To-morrow will be changed; it can’t be just like to-day. Even your oxen, -Lawyer and Farmer, like a change. Grass is good enough when there is no -wheat field to jump into, but when the wheat is green, sweet and rich, -they leave the grass.” - -“Jes’ so, boss, jes’ so.” - -“Why, you would get tired of bacon and cabbage if you had it all the -time.” - -“Who, me? I nebba got tired ub it yit.” - -“And, Ezra, if Aunt Cassey, your good and kind wife, hadn’t changed her -mind and married you instead of Uncle Snake Bit Jim, her name would now -be Mrs. Snake Bit Jim.” - -“Dat’s what I say, boss; dat’s de application ezactly. I don’ like dis -changin’ business. Bless Gord, I wish Cassey hadn’ change huh mine.” - -Memories of happier days come to us all. May they soften the pillow of -dear old Ezra. His first wife was my nurse, and many a time his willing -hands, to give her’s rest, have rocked my cradle. - -[Illustration] - - Who could our baby tears repress - And lull us into drowsiness. - Mammy. - - - - - MAMMY. - - -There are pictures of the past in memory’s gallery before which we love -to linger. To one it is perhaps the old homestead in the North, or the -South. To another, a woman’s face. To a woman mayhap this picture is -suggested by a simple tress of hair, or fragrant dust, _once_ violets, -or an old letter, perchance kissed many times, or tear-wet, who may -know? To me it is my old— - - - MAMMY. - - Who nursed and fed us from her breast - And in her tender arms caressed? - Mammy. - - Who washed our faces, combed our hair - And tied us in our baby chair? - Mammy. - - Who soaped and bathed our little forms, - And rocked us in her loving arms? - Mammy. - - Who, when we stumped our little toes, - Put balsam on to heal our woes? - Mammy. - - Who could our baby tears repress, - And lull us into drowsiness? - Mammy. - - Who tucked us in our baby cot, - And all our badness soon forgot? - Mammy. - - Who always patted us to sleep, - And “Prayed the Lord our souls to keep?” - Mammy. - - Who rests from sorrow ’neath the sod, - And all the paths of duty trod? - Mammy. - - - - - ANAH. - - -Uncle David, though threescore years and ten and bent with age, was -quite useful on the plantation, and was not afraid of work. His labor, -however, had not been of a wearing kind. Once a week he drove Sue, a -kind and gentle mare, to the mill with a load of corn and returned with -bags of sweet cornmeal, the like of which is hard to get nowadays. - -In 1853 Sue foaled a bay mule colt with a black stripe down his back -that made a cross on his shoulders. David christened the colt Anah, -because he heard Parson Phil Demby preach a _pow’ful_ sermon Christmas, -the text of which was, “This was that Anah that found the mules in the -wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibion his father.”[19] - -Anah was a lively colt, and when David went to the mill often romped -ahead of Sue on the road, much to the anxiety of the mother, and -sometimes in a don’t-care way lagged behind for a quarter of a mile or -more; and though Uncle David characterized him as _worrysome an’ -scan’lous_, he was very fond of the colt and the colt fond of him. By -and by Anah was big and old enough to break, and David soon had him -going kindly and taking his old dam’s place in the cart. - -David was always relied upon to select and haul the Christmas tree, -which was placed in the brick kitchen. It was literally a tree, and on -its many boughs hung gifts for the household and servants. - -The woods loam was selected by David and hauled by Anah for Kerchibell, -the old Scotch gardener, who put it on his early spring plants and -flowers; indeed, almost every day the mule was hauling something, with -David on the cart singing or nodding. - -Every Saturday at 12 o’clock the servants were allowed to quit work and -haul the seine. The terrapins caught were brought to the mansion, with a -goodly number of spot, hog and other fish; the rest of the fish the -servants were allowed to market for pin-money. At such times Uncle David -was always on deck with Anah. - -For twenty-five years Anah did faithful work, and David loved him and -talked to him as though he was a human being, and said, “Anah almos’ -knew’d his A. B. C’s.” Like most mules, however, in his old age he got -full of kinks, and would bite and kick anyone but David, who said, “He -hab grow’d ’ceitful an’ ub cose I hab ter scole him.” - -The old man was very credulous and as easily chaffed by his marster as -Polonius was by Hamlet. For example: One day whilst Anah was kicking up -and putting on airs and David was grumbling and saying, “He ain’ no good -no how; I sut’ny am tired ub dis mule,” his Mars Jimmy walked past the -cart and said, “I’m going to sell that worthless old mule and get you a -nice little mare I can buy at a bargain. True she is hip-shot, spavined -and very lazy, but will do for your work.” - -David was perplexed and disconsolate and at bed-hour went to the stable. -Anah was munching his oats, and David, little and bent, stood behind the -mule, who switched his tail and laid back his ears as if to say, You are -going to take away my oats. The old man’s eyes brimmed with tears; he -had a big, kind heart, and his affection for the mule was really -touching. Finally he said, “You recommember me all de time, don’ you, -Anah? Don’ I al’ays feed you good an’ rub you an’ gib you uh sorf bed?” -Then he walked into the stall, stroked the mule’s ear and said, “Jes’ ez -sorf ez uh ’possum’s ear; you know I ain’ gwine ter let ’em sell you, -Anah. Mars Jimmy kyant find an nerr mule in Talbot County like you. He -ain’ gwine ter sell you, an’ ef’n he do, he got ter sell me wid you, dat -he is! Well, da ain’ no tellin’; Mars Jimmy mout sell dis mule -ter-morry, so I’m gwine ter sleep wid him dis night, fuh it mout be de -po’ mule’s lars’ night heah. I’ll put some mo’ hay in de bottom ub de -manger, an’ wid dese corn-cobs I’ll meck ub pillah, put meh coat on it, -an’ den I’ll kivver mehsef wid hay. Lemmy see—no, I won’ teck meh shoes -orf, kase I mout hab ter git up futto git him some oats.” His bed -arranged, the old man said, “I heah Pawson Demby say dat our blessid -Lawd an’ Sabior wuz bawn in ub stable, so hit sut’ny good ernuff fuh -me.” Weary and sad, he leaned against the manger, said his prayers, and -then he snuggled in the hay and sang his favorite hymn: - - =“What kind ub shoes you gwine ter wear? - Golden slippers! - What kind ub shoes you gwine ter wear? - Golden slippers I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glitter-in’ sun.= - - =What kind ub crown you gwine ter wear? - Star-ry crown! - What kind ub crown you gwine ter wear? - Star-ry crown I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glitter-in’ sun.= - - =What kind ub robe you gwine ter wear? - White robe! - What kind ub robe you gwine ter wear? - White robe! - Long white robe I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glit-ter-in’ sun.= - - =What kind ub hymn you gwine ter sing? - New hymn! - What kind ub hyarp you gwine ter play? - Golden hyarp! - Golden hyarp I’m bound ter play, dat outshines de glit—ter—in’——sun——.”= - -Then all was hushed! - -Mayhap Uncle David dreamed he had on his golden slippers that outshone -the glittering sun, wore a starry crown and long white robe, sang a new -hymn, and played upon a golden harp, for the Bible tells us— - - =“The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.”= - ------ - -Footnote 1: - - Robert Morris was the father of the revolutionary financier, and Henry - Callister, a philanthropist who befriended the deported hapless - Acadians, sent to Annapolis, Md., in 1775, and gave large sums from - his own pocket to relieve their suffering, to the serious impairment - of his moderate fortune. - -Footnote 2: - - Macaulay says, “Our own firm belief is that he was.” - -Footnote 3: - - To appreciate this sermon the 29th chapter of Genesis should be read - if the reader is not familiar with the same. - -Footnote 4: - - II Samuel xviii, 9, 10. - -Footnote 5: - - Genesis, Chapter 32, Ver. 24, 25. - -Footnote 6: - - Scipio Jones. - -Footnote 7: - - Dr. John P. Durbin, one of the most eloquent of American orators, was - able to speak to a child with such beauty of expression and propriety - of enunciation that a company of educated ladies and gentlemen were - entranced. Conversation was suspended and regret felt when the doctor - turned from the delighted child to the rest of the company. In an - earlier period, when enfeebled voice compelled him to suspend public - efforts, he had gone from cabin to cabin among the negroes on the - plantations of Kentucky, conversing with them on religion, and claimed - that by this process he acquired his marvelously simple style. - - Extemporaneous Oratory, Buckley, p. 94. - -Footnote 8: - - Samuel i, 19. - -Footnote 9: - - II Samuel vi, 16. - -Footnote 10: - - Exodus xxii, 18. - -Footnote 11: - - See Little Billy’s Pumpkin. - -Footnote 12: - - See Mars Pinckney’s ’Simmons. - -Footnote 13: - - A negro superstition. - -Footnote 14: - - Told the negroes he was a major in the war of 1812. He was a teamster. - -Footnote 15: - - Suspenders. - -Footnote 16: - - Job vii, 7. - -Footnote 17: - - A story of the late Senator Vance Versified. - -Footnote 18: - - “The legislature of Alabama donated to Miss Sanson a section of the - unappropriated public lands of the state as a testimonial of the high - appreciation of her services by the people of Alabama, and directed - the Governor of the State to provide and present her with a gold - medal, inscribed with suitable devices commemorative of her conduct.” - -Footnote 19: - - Genesis xxxvi, 24. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as - printed. - 3. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together - at the end of the last chapter. - 4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - 5. Enclosed bold font in =equals=. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Ole Mars an' Ole Miss, by Edmund K. Goldsborough - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLE MARS AN' OLE MISS *** - -***** This file should be named 60807-0.txt or 60807-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/8/0/60807/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, MFR, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/60807-0.zip b/old/60807-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index cfaeb19..0000000 --- a/old/60807-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h.zip b/old/60807-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e776c7e..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/60807-h.htm b/old/60807-h/60807-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 2af25db..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/60807-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7708 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> - <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Ole Mars an’ Ole Miss, by Edmund K. Goldsborough</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 10%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; } - h3 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: large; } - h4 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1em; } - .pageno { right: 1%; font-size: x-small; background-color: inherit; color: silver; - text-indent: 0em; text-align: right; position: absolute; - border: thin solid silver; padding: .1em .2em; font-style: normal; - font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - sup { vertical-align: top; font-size: 0.6em; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .lg-container-b { text-align: center; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-b { clear: both; } } - .lg-container-l { text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-l { clear: both; } } - .linegroup { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .linegroup { display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; } } - .linegroup .group { margin: 1em auto; } - .linegroup .line { text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em; } - div.linegroup > :first-child { margin-top: 0; } - .linegroup .in10 { padding-left: 8.0em; } - .linegroup .in12 { padding-left: 9.0em; } - .linegroup .in2 { padding-left: 4.0em; } - .linegroup .in24 { padding-left: 15.0em; } - .linegroup .in26 { padding-left: 16.0em; } - .linegroup .in4 { padding-left: 5.0em; } - .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; } - ol.ol_1 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 2.78%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: decimal; } - div.footnote > :first-child { margin-top: 1em; } - div.footnote p { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; } } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - div.figcenter p { text-align: center; text-indent: 0; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:30%; } - .id002 { width:10%; } - .id003 { width:5%; } - .id004 { width:60%; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:35%; width:30%; } } - @media handheld { .id002 { margin-left:45%; width:10%; } } - @media handheld { .id003 { margin-left:47%; width:5%; } } - @media handheld { .id004 { margin-left:20%; width:60%; } } - .ic001 { width:100%; } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .table0 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; width: 90%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6 { text-indent: -0em; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6:first-letter { float: left; margin: 0.100em 0.100em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; line-height: 0.6em; text-indent: 0; } - @media handheld { - p.drop-capa0_0_6 { text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6:first-letter { float: none; margin: 0; font-size: 100%; } - } - .c000 { margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c001 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c002 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c003 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c005 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c006 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; } - .c007 { vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right; } - .c008 { margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c009 { margin-top: 1em; font-size: .9em; } - .c010 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c011 { text-align: center; } - .c012 { text-decoration: none; } - .c013 { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c014 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c015 { margin-top: 2em; font-size: .9em; } - .c016 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 2em; } - .c017 { page-break-before: auto; margin-top: 2em; } - .c018 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; width: 10%; margin-left: 0; - margin-top: 1em; text-align: left; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;background-color:#E3E4FA; - border:1px solid silver; margin:2em 10% 0 10%; font-family: Georgia, serif; - } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align:left; } - @media handheld { .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block;} } - .ol_1 li {font-size: .9em; } - @media handheld {.ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } } - body {font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; } - .footnote {font-size: .9em; } - div.footnote p {text-indent: 2em; margin-bottom: .5em; } - .figcenter {font-size: .9em; page-break-inside: avoid; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .right {text-align: right; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 0em; - width: 50%;font-size: small; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Ole Mars an' Ole Miss, by Edmund K. Goldsborough - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Ole Mars an' Ole Miss - -Author: Edmund K. Goldsborough - -Release Date: November 29, 2019 [EBook #60807] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLE MARS AN' OLE MISS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, MFR, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div id='Frontispiece' class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_frontis.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Meh Marster, you mo’ an’ mo’ like Mars Francis ev’y day, same bright eyes, like uh fish hawk’s, but sorf an’ big.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>OLE MARS<br /> <span class='large'>AN’</span><br /> OLE MISS</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>BY</div> - <div class='c003'><span class='xlarge'><span class='sc'>Edmund K. Goldsborough</span>, M. D.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_title.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='sc'>Washington</span>, D. C.:</div> - <div><span class='large'>NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.,</span></div> - <div>1900.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>COPYRIGHT, 1900</div> - <div class='c003'>BY</div> - <div class='c003'>EDMUND K. GOLDSBOROUGH, M. D.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_acorns.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='ILLUSTRATIONS'> -<colgroup> -<col width='80%' /> -<col width='20%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ole Mars</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Frontispiece'>Frontispiece</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <th class='c006'></th> - <th class='c007'><span class='small'><i>Page</i></span></th> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Miss Sanson in the saddle</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_8'>8</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ef’n you don’ git of’n dat cow I’ll whup you tell dere ain’ no bref lef’ in you</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_14'>14</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Tench Tilghman</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_18'>18</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Anne Francis</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_20'>20</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Miss Henrietta’s gift that hung over the pulpit</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_28'>28</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Tench Francis</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_32'>32</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Pinckney when a boy</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_48'>48</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Pawson Demby baptizing Tilly Mink just after cutting ice</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_50'>50</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Pinckney’s home, “Fausley,”</i></td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_62'>62</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>The picture on the face of the Moses clock</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_78'>78</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Torm fishing in Black Creek</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_90'>90</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Rob Roy and Rose</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_94'>94</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Yo’ gwine ter merry uh King an’ hab thutteen chillun</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_106'>106</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Dem two gals, Marfy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de watah sorf crabbin’, is meh gran’chillun</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_112'>112</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Deah gre’t gran’mammy gibs ’em too much cawn-bred, an’ hit natchelly puts noshuns in deah haids</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_114'>114</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ole Mars had de gre’tes’ confluence in meh ’rasity</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_118'>118</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Scipio Jonas Jones and Nimrod</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_120'>120</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>So I bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars’ boutin Saul</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_128'>128</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Black Creek Falls</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_136'>136</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ole Mistis at sweet sixteen</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_140'>140</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ole Miss (Miss Henrietta)</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_152'>152</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Black Creek Ford</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_170'>170</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Skylark</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_172'>172</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Matthew</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ezra</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_176'>176</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Miss Mary</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_182'>182</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Arthur</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_184'>184</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Miss Sanson</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_190'>190</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mars Torm</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_194'>194</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Ezra and the children</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_196'>196</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Mammy</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_212'>212</a></i></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>INTRODUCTION</h2> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_acorns.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c008'><i>My subjects are all typical Eastern-Shore-of-Maryland -darkies, some of whom “had erligion, ’longed -ter de Babtis’ chuch an’ wuz monstus pious.” Others -danced, sang, played the banjo, fiddled, fished and -frolicked in Talbot County “Befo’ de Wah.”</i></p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<i>Ole Joe kickin’ up behin’ an’ befo’,</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>Yaller gal kirkin’ up behin’ ole Joe.</i>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><i>Their smiling, shining, happy faces can be fully -appreciated only by those who played with them, heard -them sing, preach and pray, and had among them -Mammies.</i></p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>To all such I dedicate this volume.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span> -<img src='images/i_008f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MISS SANSON IN THE SADDLE.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>PERSONS REPRESENTED</h2> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_acorns.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><i>Parson Phil Demby</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>An adept in breaking colts and steers, and especially hearts. Can read a wee bit and has a remarkable memory. Very gallant among the dusky damsels. Has the best coon dogs on the plantation.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Uncle Reubin Viney</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Sensible, truthful and pious. Sir Oracle among the negroes. Can read some and is familiar with the Bible.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Damon Danridge</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Courtly, intelligent and observant body servant to Rev. William Pinckney. His bow would have charmed Beau Brummel.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Ezra</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Quite as much of a beau as Rosin, and not as pious as the prophet.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Frisby Jemes</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A pupil of Uncle Reubin Viney. Afraid of shirks [sharks].</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Scipio Jones</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A firm believer in witches, ghosts and “spirits,” especially applejack.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Hesakiah Sprouts</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Would rather coon hunt than debate. A fiddler.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Little Billy</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A crafty wag. Nimble witted.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Juba Viney</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A fine singer and hymn raiser. Kinsman to Uncle Reubin.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A pompous, dandy darkey; very wise in his own conceit. A good preacher.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Stephen Demby (Uncle Stephen)</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A dear old servant. A devoted fisherman. Little and Bent.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>John Poney</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A very entertaining darkey. Took hold of his wool when he bowed to you.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Jerry Butler and Caesar Butler</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Brothers. Very credulous and superstitious. Free negroes.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Horace Duley</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Janitor.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Aunt Phillis</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Gentle, sweet tempered, intelligent cook. Everybody liked Aunt Phillis.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Tilly Mink</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Chickens were afraid of her, and roosted high when she was about.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Sue Benson</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A good natured, lazy housemaid.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Becky Williams</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A faithful nurse.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Sister Chew</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A dairymaid.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Mammy</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Good as gold.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Nancy Young</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>A fortune teller.</i></div> - <div class='c002'><i>Uncle David</i></div> - <div class='c003'><i>Who loved his mule.</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_acorns.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='CONTENTS'> -<colgroup> -<col width='80%' /> -<col width='20%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>“<i>Fogitfulness</i>,”</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_21'>21</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'><span class='small'><i>Acts 7:8—“Ab’ham fogot Isaac, Isaac fogot Jacob, an’ Jacob fogot de twelve Petracks [Patriarchs].”</i></span></td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Debate</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_34'>34</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'><span class='small'><i>Ef’n uh man er ’ooman hab salbation in deah hyarts, will dey be feard ter babtize wha shirks [sharks] is.</i></span></td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Romp’s Mustake”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_45'>45</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Little Billy’s Pumpkin”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_47'>47</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Sermon—Psalm 63:6</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_60'>60</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>Debate</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_76'>76</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c011' colspan='2'><span class='small'><i>From Zachariah 2:6—“Ef’n Ho Ho wan’ uh Chine er Japne, who wuz he?”</i></span></td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Rash-nal an’ Pus-nal”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_90'>90</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“De Composation ub de Snipe”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_91'>91</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Nancy Young”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_100'>100</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Mars Pinckney’s ’Simmons”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_110'>110</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Dem Days”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_112'>112</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Dat Chrismus Cake”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_126'>126</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“When Saul Run ’Way”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_127'>127</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Let Us Meck Brick”—Sermon</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_137'>137</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Juba Viney’s Yaller Pants”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_153'>153</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“His Bref Kinleth Coals”—Sermon</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_164'>164</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Dat Auntydote”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_171'>171</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Ezra”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_173'>173</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Mammy”—Doggerel</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_213'>213</a></i></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><i>“Anah”—Story</i>,</td> - <td class='c007'><i><a href='#Page_215'>215</a></i></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span> - <h2 class='c005'>“OTWELL.”</h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c008'>Otwell was originally an estate of some -2,000 acres, situated on a beautiful peninsula, -the land rich and productive, and the forest -would have charmed Silvanus. Here and there on -the shores of the inlets grew majestic oaks, black -walnut, and immemorial elms. The peach, pear, -apricot, fig and other fruit trees flourished, and would -have charmed Eve, and the Cart House apples, -Adam.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The forest was entirely of lofty pines—many of -the trees so large that one tree made a canoe; they -were made and used principally by the servants and -were in evidence almost everywhere. The forest had -very little undergrowth; the ground was carpeted and -cushioned with pine fallings, and the huntsmen were -delighted when reynard was started there. The murmuring -of the wind in the lofty pine tops, the tongueing -of the hounds “like sweet bells jangled out of -tune,” delighted the hearts of the Tilghmans, Chamberlains, -Dickinsons, Tripps, Robins, Lloyds and -many others that followed the hounds, horsemen of -the first-flight type. The hunt over, there was “The -feast of reason and the flow of soul.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>The river was as lovely as the Bay of Spezia, and -from its bed and shores the canvas-back and red-head -plucked the wild celery and fattened. Fish, terrapin -and oysters abounded, and the <i>mint</i> luxuriated. The -Eastern Shore of Maryland was then as now the garden -spot and sunny side of creation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before the hour of parting two songs were always -sung, “Sportsman Hall” and “The Bottle,” the -former sent by The Beef Steak Club of London to -one of the above named gentlemen. I could give the -words, rich and rare, left me by my father, but -delicacy forbids; both are exquisite double entendres -fit to sing before kings, but not before queens.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was a school at Otwell, taught by John -Singleton and —— Garrick, two fine belles-lettres -scholars, to which came the Robins from Job’s Content, -Tilghmans from Plimhimmon, Chamberlains -from Bondfield, Haskins from Canterbury Manor, -Morrises and Collisters from Oxford. John Singleton’s -sister was the mother of the eminent portrait -painter, John Singleton Copley, who on a visit to his -Uncle at Otwell with his former preceptor, Smibert, -made portraits of Anne Francis, James Tilghman, -Matthew Tilghman and his wife, nee Annie Lloyd, -whilst spending Christmas there.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_014f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Dem’s meh gre’t gran’ chillun an’ dey monstus bad! Ef’n you don’ git of’n dat cow I’ll whup you till da ain’ no bref lef ’in you.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>Standing on his front porch Ole Mars Nickey -viewed his broad acres, whose shores were washed by -the Tred-Avon, by crystal creeks, and coves with -beautiful mouths that kissed with briny lips the bosom -of the river. The windmill on the shore added to -the scenery as its sails moved languidly, grinding the -wheat and corn for the negroes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>To the south on the river side was the little town -of Oxford, a tobacco port, and riding at anchor was a -brigantine from Liverpool, being loaded with tobacco -by Morris & Callister (Robert Morris and Henry Callister), -shipping merchants.<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c012'><sup>[1]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c010'>From the back porch, through a long, wide and -high arbor entwined with fruitful grapevines, you -saw Otwell Creek, and the arbor-way led you into a -more enchanting garden than the one mentioned in -“EZRA,” where my fancy loves to wander, for “a -thing of beauty is a joy forever.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was some fifteen acres in extent. The encircling -fences were so overgrown with honeysuckle, clematis -and trailing roses as to look like a flowery hedge, with -here and there lilacs and snowballs. The winding, -wooing walks were hedged with box, and bowing trees -were caressed by fruitful grapevines. It was a -banqueting place for bees, and a paradise for birds, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>from little Jennie Wren to the proud mocking bird, -and they filled acres of air with their melodious lays.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra loved to assist old Kurchibell, the Scotch gardener, -and one day he was heard to say, “Mr. Kurchibell -ain’ no gyardner less’n he kill dem plegon sassy -catbirds and robins; dey jes spilin’ all dem cherries. -I’m gwine right straight an tell Ole Mars an Ole -Miss!” Betimes Ezra would saunter with basket on -each arm to the garden and gather the dew-kissed -peaches, apricots, juicy melons and other fruits, -and later cull the 100–leaf roses and assist the old -gardener in distilling them. The rose cakes left were -tucked away in the house linen, the fragrance of -which in fancy I still inhale.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The apple trees flung down so many blossoms that -they covered the ground. All are gone! so are the -other fruit trees and fragrant vines.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Leaves have their time to fall</div> - <div class='line in2'>And flowers to wither at the North</div> - <div class='line'>Wind’s breath,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And stars to set; but all—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Thou hast all seasons for thine</div> - <div class='line'>Own, O death!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>About the middle of the garden was a large bower, -roughly made of cedar, but as strong as Jacob’s ladder. -Clematis, honeysuckle and beautiful trailing -roses covered its sides and dome-shaped top so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>thoroughly that only here and there little sunbeams -could pierce and play among the interwoven vines -and blossoms. In the center of the bower was a large -table, from which fruit was eaten, cards played, tea -made (echo), and love made! Almost within arm’s -reach of the arbor was a brimming spring, whose -water was soft and pure as a dewdrop. The spring -is there to-day, and, like the brook, flows on forever.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the weather was dry Miss Henrietta dipped -its pellucid water and sprinkled the thirsty arbor -vines,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“But O! for the touch of a vanished hand</div> - <div class='line'>And the sound of a voice that is still.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Around the spring grew <i>mint</i> in exuberance, that -was as much cared for as the foxhounds. Mayhap -in that arbor Tench Francis tinkled the sides of his -glass in mixing <i>sugar</i> and <i>grass with spirits</i>, sipped -and read letters from his gay and brilliant nephew, -<a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c012'><sup>[2]</sup></a>Sir Phillip Francis, the supposed author of the letters -of Junius, then one of England’s Counsel for -India; maybe told all about his duel with Warren -Hastings, then Governor-General of India; for we -know that his cousin, the beautiful Anne Francis, -visited “Otwell” with her husband, James Tilghman, -who met there his brother, Matthew, the great patriot, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>and his wife, who was charming Anne Lloyd. -There, too, Tench Tilghman, aide-de-camp to Washington, -and his wife, spent happy hours. Later his -daughter married the host, and there in luxury and -loving kindness lived</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“OLE MARS an’ OLE MISS.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>’Twas a very cold Sunday in December. The sun -shone brightly, but the wind was on a frolic. High-crested, -white-capped waves leaped upon and lashed -the shore. Ole Miss, as usual, had service for the -house servants in the brick kitchen. She said the -Lord’s prayer, read the 63d psalm, commented upon -their deportment for the past week and then they -were dismissed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Pawson Demby was to preach in the new Zion -church, and the servants were now on the lawn looking -for the Plimhimmon, Bondfield and Job’s Content -boats. In those days visiting was done for the -most part by water, the numerous creeks, coves and -bays making distance so great by land. The servants -used the eight-oared barges, boats of burden, with -sails and generally two masts, called a pinnace; they -carried to the large schooners wheat, corn and other -cereals for the Baltimore market, and in return -brought hogsheads of molasses, sugar, coffee, rice, -boots and shoes for the servants.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_018f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>TENCH TILGHMAN.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>Presently Little Billy sang out, “Heah dey come!” -and sure enough, rounding Wind Mill Point and -turning into Otwell Creek, were three barges—tip-tap-toe—each -pulled by eight lusty oars. The angry -roar of the waves, the struggling boats, the landscape -and the breaking billows made it a picturesque sight. -Soon they were at the wharf. Most of them were -house servants, and it would be for me a hopeless task -to describe their raiment, the old-time courtesies, -graceful bows and how-dys with which they greeted -one another.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Those negroes were environed for generations with -kindness, culture, refinement and Christian teaching, -so that many of them had finished manners, knew -perfectly</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in10'>“How ter wait</div> - <div class='line'>On Marster’s table an’ han’ de plate,</div> - <div class='line'>Pars de bottle when he dry</div> - <div class='line'>And brush away de blue-tail fly.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>They were dependent, kind, obedient, full of music, -contentment, and happiness. The venom of the -politician and carpetbagger had not stung them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Greetings over, they all strolled to the new brick -church, distant about three-quarters of a mile. Like -all the churches of that day, the pulpit was much -nearer heaven than the pews, and above it hung a -picture given them by Miss Henrietta. It had a bell, a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>clock—described in Ho-Ho—and a fireplace large -enough for half a dozen darkies to stand and warm -themselves. When all were seated Uncle Stephen -was asked to pray, and then Parson Phil Demby -preached.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His text was “Fogitfulness.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_020f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>ANNE FRANCIS.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span> - <h2 class='c005'>“FOGITFULNESS.”<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c012'><sup>[3]</sup></a></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>“Dat is de subjec’ ub my discose dis mawnin’ and -I is preachen mo’ ’specially to de chillun in de meetin’ -house. Uncle Reubin Viney an’ I was a huskin’ cawn -lars’ week an’ he tol’ me boutin dis tex’, and arsked me -to preach fum it; an’ you will find de ’zact words in -de 7th chapta ub Acts, 8th vus: ‘Ab’ham fogot Isaac, -Isaac fogot Jacob and Jacob fogot de twelve Petracks.’ -Dem ole Petracks was a pow’ful fogitful race ub people! -Now, ten ub dem Petracks, Simeon, Levi an’ -Zebulon, dey wuz Miss Leah’s chillun (I fogit de -names ub de res’ ub her chillun, but dey wuz all -Jews). An’ Joseph an’ Benjamin, dey wuz Miss -Rachel’s chillun, an’ de Bible say dey wuz saints. One -ub ’em er his uncle, I fogit which, foun’ some mules -in de wilderness ez he wuz watchin’ his father’s sheep, -but he wuz so fogitful dat he didn’t gib de names ub -de mules or how many dey wuz—some people say da -wan’ no mules at all, dey wuz all Jackasses. Well, -lemmy see—da wuz two mo’ ub Jacob’s sons (I dun -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>mention five), an’ I fogit deah Ma’s name, but deah -names wuz Dan an’ Naptha, or sompin’ like dat (I lef’ -my specks hom’). I don’ think dey wuz Jews, er -Dukes like Esau’s sons, an’ I don’ ’zactly no deah -’ligion, but I specks dem two wuz Babtis’s. ’Pears to -me I hearn Uncle Reubin say so! How-some-eber, all -ub dem chillun ub Jacob’s wuz born in Panorama -[Padanaram] an’ dey’s all uh pow’ful fogitful race ub -people.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Brudderin, da is nothin’ ez bad ez fogitfulness. -Ef’n my memory wuz not good (kase I lef’ my specks -at hom’) I could not gib you any ub dese beautiful -names. Now, den, dese ten brudders wuz sent by deah -Pa way down in Egyp’ lan’ futto buy cawn fum -deah eleventh brudder. An’ bless yo’ soul, when dey -got down da, dey didn’t eben no deah brudder—but -he no’d dem. Mebby de color ub his coat ’fused ’em. -I tell you dem old Petracks is a pow’ful fogitful race -ub people. So wuz deah Ma’s an’ Pa’s. Laban, de -Granpa ub de Petracks, and prob’ly de bigist farmer -in dem days, wuz uh fogitful man. We is told dat -Jacob (wonder why dey jes’ call ’em Jacob), an’ -Noahy, an’ Moses, an’ Peter, an’ Rasmus dey’s mos’ -ub ’em kings an’ dukes an’ sich like. I mus’ ask -Uncle Reubin boutin dat. Well, Jacob merried Miss -Rachel, so he did, but I specks Jacob got a little -<i>het up</i> at de weddin’. An’ Laban, he mus’ hab had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>some ros’ apples wid apple-jack. Brudderin, apples -is bin makin’ trubble eber since Adam totch ’em—kase -Laban he fogot which daughter Jacob wuz -gwine ter marry. ’Pears like Jacob fogot, too, kase -he didn’t scover de mustak’ till de nex’ mawnin’. An’ -’pears like Miss Leah an’ Miss Rachel fogot. Now, -wan’ dey uh fogitful lot ub people? De nex’ mawnin’ -arfter de weddin’—or as de Bible say, de feas’—when -Jacob got up to milk de cows an’ yoke de oxin, da -was Miss Leah up, an’ shakin’ down de stove an’ -grindin’ de coffee. An’ Jacob say, ‘Wha Rachel?’ -an’ Miss Leah say, ‘I dunno nuffin boutin Rachel.’ -Da wuz uh mustak’ some wha, sho. So Jacob merried -’em bof to be sartin an’ pleas’ Laban. No wonder -dat de Petracks wuz uh fogitful race wid four Ma’s -an’ uh Pa all fogitful; an’, mine you, Miss Rachel she -wuz so fogitful seems to me her mine mus’ hab been -’stressed, kase you recommember when her boys Jacob -an’ Esau went out an’ kilt uh deer, she fogot which -kilt it—leas’wise it ’pears so. Well, as fo’ dat, I -specks de fus’ man, Adam, hissef was absen’-minded. -He sut’ny lubbed fruit. We all knows dat. An’ I -specks he wuz hongry, an’ mebby po’ Adam when he -clum up de apple tree in de dark tho’t it wuz uh -peach tree—kase when a man is hongry he ain’ -’stressin’ hissef boutin de fruit, so it’s good. An’ I -specks he got ’fused ’bout de trees, kase dat gyarden -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>wuz full ub fruit trees, from apple trees clean down -to cucumbers and watermillions.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“King Dabid come outin uh fogitful fam’ly. De -Bible tell us dat in dem days Pharez fogot Hezron, -an’ Hezron fogot Ram——”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sister Becky (interrupting): “Pawson Demby, -you mus’ mean Ham or Sham?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Chile, I kin read; I means Ram! Dat’s -what I mean! Ram wuz uh white pusson; Ham wuz -uh cullud pusson. Well, dey kep’ on fogittin’ till -Jesse fogot Dabid. But blessid to say, de lars’ one -wuz not uh fogitter; he recommembered mos’ too well—leas’wise -fuh dese days. He had Uriahy kilt kase -he wuz rite smart tuck on Uriahy’s wife. In dese -days it’s mo’ dan de chuch ’low; how-some-eber, in -dem days it didn’t stress uh pusson ef’n uh man’s wife -fogot him, kase dey had so many dey wouldn’t miss -’em, ’cep’in five er six lef’ ’em. Now, chillun, boys -wuz bad in dem days same as now. Po’ King Dabid’s -son ’stressed him pow’ful, but he neber fogot him, -an’ he mus’ uh favo’d he Pa and bin uh monstus -fine-lookin’ chile, kase de Bible say—lemmy read it -to you: ‘Ab-so-lum wuz prais’ fuh he beauty fum de -sole ub he foot ebin to de crown ub he haid.’ An’ -de king wuz gwine to meck a Babtis’ preacher outin -him, but he fogot his po’ father an’ run uh way; -and what wuz de consequasion ub dat boy’s badness? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>Sistus an’ chillun, it’s wussa dan stealin’ watermillions -er chickens; it’s mos’ ez bad ez dancin’ an’ -playin’ de fiddle on de Sabbuth. Well, de Bible tell -us dat Ab-so-lum<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c012'><sup>[4]</sup></a> rid ’pon uh mule, an’ de mule went -under de thick bows ub uh jack oak, an’ his haid kotch -hold ub de oak (I mean de haid ub little Ab-so-lum) -an’ he wuz’ tuck up ’tween de heaben an’ de uth; -an’ de mule dat wuz under him went ’way, an’ dat -wuz de las’ ub po’ Ab-so-lum. Ez many hosses ez -dat ventersum chil’ mus’ uh had, an’ ez many ez his -brudder Solomon had, it’s quare to me why he rid -uh ornry mule. Dey mus’ uh bin uh breed ub mules -an’ jackasses dat’s died out—kase mules an’ jackasses -wuz de favorite beases in dem days.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“De chillun ub Ephram fogot de works ub de Lawd, -an’ his wonders, arfter he had rain down manner ’pon -’em to eat. Uncle Reubin say de manner wuz mushrooms. -De reason ub de flood, is kase de chillun -ub man fogot deah benefits. Dey wan’t satisfied wid -creeks an’ ribbers, but dey mus’ provok’ uh flood. Is -dar any pusson in dis chuch dat would fogit Miles -Ribber? De Petracks would. Dunno though! Kase -I reckin da wan’t no ribbers in dem days lubly as Miles -Ribber. Kin I eber fogit her wha’ I wuz born? How -it charm an’ conjur me when I goes fishin’, oysterin’ -er crabbin’ in de mawnin’s, when de ribber is cam. -Den de trees is ’flected in de watah an’ de heb’nly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>clouds meck rainbows in de watah. An’ dat Miles -Ribber is so clare when de trees is ’flected in de -mawnin’ befo’ de sun-up, you kin see de jewdraps on -de leabes. An’ sometimes all day long when de breeze -is sorf de sun plays on de ripples, an’ when de sun -git tired an’ sink in de wes’ de moon plays on de watah -sorter ridin’ de canterin’ wabes. An’ de hooppo-wills -sing, an’ de mockin’ birds chant, an’ de wabes chases -de moonlight, an’ de moonlight chases de wabes; an’ -de stars way down deep in de watah winks an’ twinks -at yer, an’ dey looks ez bright ez de eyes ub -Phareoh’s daughter an’ almos’ ez sorf’ ez uh possum’s. -It’s uh sin to play on de fiddle, flute an’ fife, an’ to -dance, but, brudderin, it’s ’spirin’ an’ heb’nly to see de -moon dance on Miles Ribber, spreadin’ hissef on de -top ub de wabes, makin’ dem de color ub silver, jes’ -like dear ole Missis hyah.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes! Pawson Demby born close to Miles Ribber, -an’ he lubs de watah nex’ to music. I’d lub -to hab bin on de ark; dey tells me mos’ everything -wuz on it, so ’cose music wuz. An’ I wouldn’t be -s’prised ef dat sweet little cullud boy, Ham, didn’t -play de banjo, an’ Sham de bones, an’ ’cose de udder -brudder (I fogit his name) played! I reckin de -hyarp. Kase hyarps wuz in de fashin in dem days. -Dear little Dabid used to play de hyarp at night when -he watched his Pa’s flocks, to make hissef feel happy, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>an’ to skere de wolves an’ bars ’way. An’ he played -fuh Saul er his daughter, I fogit which. Wonder -how dey got deah hyarp an’ banjo strings dem days. -Well, I kin almos’ see dat jus’ man, de captin ub de -boat, arfter all de beases bin fed an’ bedded, set down -in de stern ub de ship, take de rudder, lite his pipe, -sigh fuh de watahs to cease an’ long fuh his dove to -come back. An’ when de moon ris I specks Ham -chune his banjo, Sham his bones, an’ de udder brudder -wid a quare name, twank de hyarp. An’ den dey -mus’ hab played, ‘Roll, Jordan, Roll,’ ‘One Bright -Ribber to Cross,’ ‘Swing Lo’, Sweet Chariot,’ ‘Go -Down Moses,’ till de stars sunk in de skies, and de -beases got relarmed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Brudderin, we ain’t sung dat lars him fuh uh -long time. Uncle Eph, you rase it an’ we will sing -some ub de vuses, so I kin res’ mehsef uh little.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='large'>GO DOWN MOSES.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>When Israel wuz in Egypt’s lan’:</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go,</div> - <div class='line'>Oppressed so hard dey could not stand,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land,</div> - <div class='line'>Tell ole Pharoh, Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>O, twuz uh dark an’ dismal nite,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>When Moses led de Israelites,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Go down, Moses, etc.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O, cum ’long Moses, yo’ll not git los’,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Stritch out yo’ rod an cum across,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Go down, Moses, etc.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Yo’ll not git los’ in de wilderness,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Wid a lighted candle in yo’ bres’,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Go down, Moses, etc.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>’Twas jes ’boutin harvis’ time,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>When Joshua led his hos’ divine,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Go down, Moses, etc.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_028f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Miss Henrietta’s gift, that hung above the pulpit.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>“Brudderin, da wuz one man dat wuz not fogitful, -an’ a man we all should intimate. I hab befo’ briefly -’luded to him. I say briefly, kase a pawson mite talk -boutin him fum de commencement to de closin’ ub -a big camp meetin’ an’ not git fur on de subjec’. He -nebber fogot. T’ink ub de animals he had to recommember, -fum elephants clean down to coons an’ ’possums. -Dey tells me he eben kep’ de chickens fum -eatin’ up de watermillion seeds. He wuz uh sailor, -gyardner, farmer, blacksmith, carpenter—King -Dabid wuz no wha when he wuz ’bout. His name -wuz Noahy. Uncle Reubin say de elephants, whales -and hippopotamusses wuz so big an’ bad dat he chained -dem outside de boat an’ let ’em float to make room. -An’ de shirks an’ crocodiles had et up all de dogs, sepin -fo’ coon dogs. So Noahy chained dem outside, too. -’Cose Noahy wuz uh gre’t animal tamer, an’ I kin -ondastan’ how he like so many animals, but I kyant -ondastan’ why he didn’t pisen dem shirks. De Bible -tells ’bout fishhooks, fishpools, fish spears an’ fishermen, -an’ all ’bout Peter’s gwine uh fishin’, an’ de five loaves -an’ two fishes (dey mus’ uh bin whales, kase dey fed -so many)—but it don’t say nuffin boutin shirks. How-some-eber, -I specks when Peter’s net broke da wuz uh -shirk in it, kase when dey cum ’long da ain’ no -use you takin’ up yo’ net, kase it’s clean gone. Uncle -Reubin say ef’n it wan’ fuh de pitch on de wood ub -de ark dey would hab chawed uh hole thoo huh. Dey’s -kep’ many a sister fum comin’ in de Babtis’ chuch, -when dar’s only salt watah to dip in, like it is down -heah on de Easton Sho’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Aunt Phillis Viney (interrupting): “Pawson -Demby, ef’n dem sistus had salbation in deah hearts -dey wouldn’t keer fuh dem shirks any mo’ dan little -Moses keered fuh de Bull-rushes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>Voices: “Dat’s what I say, too!” “Yas, dat’s -it!” “You done sed it.” “Dat’s de law, Sistah -Viney.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tilly Mink: “I’s got salbation mehsef.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Uncle Eph, will you pleas’ pars de barsket ’roun’? -An’ I hope dis congation will stop dis shirk ’citement -an’ not be fogitful boutin de collection. I exhort sistus -an’ all heah present to gib lib’ly, an’ not be like -dem fogitful ole Petracks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We will include by singin’ de three fus’ vusses ub -him seventy-fo’.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Zion is de place fuh me,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da;</div> - <div class='line'>Zaccheus clum uh sycamo’ tree,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In de heb’nly hom’ we’ll all be free,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da;</div> - <div class='line'>De Angel Gabriel den we’ll see,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Mary an’ Marfa’s gone befo’;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da;</div> - <div class='line'>Baptized an’ shoutin’ on de golden sho’;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Oh, I want to git da.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Pawson Demby requested Uncle Stephen to “Please -led us in prayer,” whereupon Uncle Stephen prayed -as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>“Sistus, brers an’ little chillun, recommember! -Dat’s de qualificashun, an’ don’ fogit it. Po’ Lot’s -wife, she fogot, looked back, an wuz turnt inter uh -pillow ub salt.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fogitfulness is wuss’n playin’ de fiddle, dancin’, an’ -uh cuss’n one nerr. Hits almos’ ez bad ez fishin’ on -de Sabbuth day. Y-a-s, Lawd, fogitfulness is bin uh -’stressin’ people ev’y sense Adam clum de apple tree -an’ eat dem apples. Ab-so-lum fogot his Pa’s ’structions, -er he wudn’ er rid un’er dat oak tree an’ let dat -lim’ twiss his neck ef’n he hadn’ bin frolikin’, I -specks, wid dat ornry King Fario. Y-a-s, Lawd, tech -us ter recommember. De prodigal son fogot he Pa’s -ways, an’ you know de consequation. Sted ub fogittin’, -meck us ter recommember; y-a-s, Lawd, meck us -ter recommember dat de debbil is uh rovin’ lion, -seekin’ who he may eat up.<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c012'><sup>[5]</sup></a> Don’ let us be like -Jacob, de Petrack, who fogot hissef an’ tried ter rassel -wid uh angel, an’ de fus’ fall he got his leg wuz flung -outin jint.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But da is one thing dat you kin fogit; hits -dem shirks [sharks] in Miles Ribber. Some ub -our sistus is got de shirk fright so bad dey is persidderin -jinin’ de Presbyters. Sweet sistus, don’ yer -do hit. Ev’y man’s mouf ain’ uh prayerbook, an’ uh -case orntried is hyard ter justify. Persidder us, deah -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>Lawd, burhol us, be wid us, cum down right now in -de spirit ub de lam’; cum right th’oo de roof, Ole -Mars will pay fuh de shingles. Dese moners is uh -waitin’ fuh you. Y-a-s, indeed, cum down dis minit -an’ <i>cur-tail</i> de work ub de debbil.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time old Harrison, Colonel Lloyd’s faithful -and credulous servant from “Wye,” became so much -excited that he jumped up and shouted, “Yas, Lawd, -cum down an <i>cut</i> he tail clean orf,” whereupon Uncle -Stephen arose, patting his hands, and singing:</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='large'>DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>And why not a every man?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>He deliver’d Daniel from the lion’s den,</div> - <div class='line'>Jonah from the belly of the whale,</div> - <div class='line'>And the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace,</div> - <div class='line'>And why not every man?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel,</div> - <div class='line'>And why not a every man?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The wind blows East, and the wind blows West,</div> - <div class='line'>It blows like the judgment day,</div> - <div class='line'>And every poor soul that never did pray,</div> - <div class='line'>’Ll be glad to pray that day.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_032f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>TENCH FRANCIS.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>The singing over, Parson Demby announced—“Befo’ -goin’ I wan’ ter say dat de deacons is so -’stressed ober ’mersion dey has ’cided ter hold uh -rebate in de Zion Chuch fo’ weeks fum nex’ Chusday, -an’ de subjec’ chusin will be, ‘Ef’n uh man er -woman hab salbation in deah hyarts, will dey be feared -ter babtiz wha shirks is?’ Ef’n hits ’cided hits dangersome, -salbation er no salbation, I hope dis congation -will git somebody’s ice pon’, an’ ef’n dey kyant do no -better, somebody’s big hoss trough fuh de ’mersions.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I ’pints rebaters fuh dem dat’s not feared—Frisby -Jemes, Hesekiah Sprouts, Damon Mink.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fuh dem dat’s feared, Uncle Reubin Viney, Juba -Viney, Scipio Jones, Horace Duley. I puts fo’ on -de side ub dem dat’s feared, kase it’s de weak side.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Judges—Pawson Phil Demby, Deacon Rasmus -Jasper Jemes.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span> - <h2 class='c005'>DEBATE.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Ef’n uh man er woman hab salbation in deah -hearts, will dey be feared ter babtiz wha’ shirks -[sharks] is?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Aunt Tillie, is de ’bate commence?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, indeed, honey, but you almos’ late fuh de feas’—dar’s -resins, ammons an’ dates lef’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is dem dates? Bless Gord, I tho’t dey wuz dried -’simmons; well, I’ll teck some resins an’ dates. How -cum de ’bate not commence?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, Phillis, dey got word ter ’speck three loads -ub people fum Kyarline County, an’ two loads fum -Queen Anne’s an’ Kent.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, hush!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Y-a-s dey did! So dey’s waitin’; besides, dey ain’ -got all de books outin de kyart. Uncle Reubin Viney -fotch uh wheelbarr load hissef, an’ dey tell me Damon -Mink is so ’thused fuh his side, dat fuh two weeks -he has bin speakin’ ter hissef. How cum you so late, -Phillis? We had uh lot ub plum-puddin’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, dat lars chile ub Miss Mary’s is pow’ful -hyard ter put ter sleep; when I commenc’ ter nuss de -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>chile I had jes’ larnt dat new hym, “Git on board -little chillun’”, an’ I am sut’ny sorry Pawson Demby -fotch dat hym ter de chuch, kase dat chile -mecks me sing it ober an’ ober, till I sho’ly ’spise de -chune. Mon dat, de chile wuz bo’n on de fus’ ub de -moon; lars yeah wuz leap yeah, an’ da wuz only three -full moons, an’ dat chile wuz bo’n on one ub dem -moons. ’Cose Miss Mary kyant help dat. Dey tells -me cats bo’n on de full ub de moon neber mecks -mousers, an’ chickens hatched on de full ub de moon -is fussin’ all de time and neber mecks good layers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I lef’ home plenty time er nuff ter git ter de feas’. -De moon wuz so bright I tuck de parf th’oo de peach -archard, ’stead er gwine roun’ by de road; you see, it -cuts orf erbout uh harf mile. When I wuz ’bout harf -way th’oo de archard I saw in de parf uh hooppo-will -singin’ fuh deah life, goin’ jes’ like uh pump handle; -an’ wussa yit, when I look good da wuz two ub ’em. -Dey say it’s bad luck fuh nine year ef’n you flush uh -hooppo-will, so what mus’ it be ef’n you flush two? I -wudn’ hab flushed dem two hooppo-wills fuh uh load -ub watermillions—so I walked heah erlong de ribber -sho’; den I wuz almos’ skeer’d stiff, fuh I recommember’d -what I had fogot, an’ dat wuz, dat lars’ wintah -Scipio Jones wuz mus’-rattin’ an’ uh Jack-uh-ma-lantern -tuck an’ led him in de watah clean up ter his -neck, jes’ erbout wha I wuz walkin’, kep him in de -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>ribber fuh two hours, uh laffin’ at an’ sassin’ him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Aunt Tillie: “Served him right, fuh dem days he -wuz al’ays trav’lin’ ’roun’ wid uh juice-hyarp in his -mouf.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Aunt Tillie, dey tell me Mars George’s Bob is -broke his erligion an’ tuck up his fiddle ergin. Howsome-eber, -Mars Richard say de Bible tells all erbout -trumpets, shams an’ flutes, but you see dem trumpets -wuz made ub ram’s hohns; leas’wise de trumpets dat -Gideon made de Pawsons play—so Uncle Reubin say, -so ubcose, dey wan’t bad like brass hohns; nobody kin -meck me bleebe dat playin’ on brass hohns wid keys -an’ locks is right. I think Pawson Demby orter -keep ev’y one outin de chuch dat plays de fiddle er -hohns. John Poney’s son, Jim, is goin’ erstray; I -hearn him walkin’ ’long de road lars nite sorter twankin -er tryin’ ter twank uh cow’s hohn an’ singin’ loud -ernuf futto almos’ bus’ hissef—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I ain’ no tukkey buzzard</div> - <div class='line in2'>I ain’ no saint,</div> - <div class='line'>I ain’ no tukkey buzzard,</div> - <div class='line in2'>So glad I ain’t.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, wan’t dat scanlus? It’s jes’ ez bad ez fishin’ -on Sunday. Dat’s what gib Jim Brooks de brake-bone -fever, fishin’ on Sunday; but de doctor tole Kyarline, -his wife, not ter be relarmed, but reposed; dat de -<i>bone-set</i> tea he wuz ergibbin’ him would kow de wus -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>kine ub brake-bone fever. Doctor Dawson is sut’ny -uh pow’ful doctor. Fuh instinct, meh arms wuz all -broke out. He say dey wuz too clean fum habin’ dem -in soapsuds too much, so he tole me ter grease meh -arms wid goose grease befo’ I commenc’ ter wash. -Well, it made de skin sorf, kep’ de water outin de poors, -an’ it sholy cured meh arms. Aunt Betsy wuz ’tirely -mustakin; she say dat when I got het up washin’ da -wuz uh checkeration ub pusspuration, an’ dat made it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I heah de bell ringin’, Aunt Tillie, so let’s go in, -fuh dat mus’ mean de speechifyin’ gwine futto commence.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just as they entered Pawson Phil Demby said: -“Sistus an’ brudders, de fus’ ter pester dis subjec’ will -be Brer Frisby Jemes; den Brer Rasmus Jemes, den -Brer Hesakiah Sprouts, an’ de gre’t speller an’ reader, -Uncle Reubin Viney. Da ain’ no use ub interjuicin’ -’em, kase almos’ ev’ybody heah has kep’ company -wid ’em.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Frisby Jemes: “I wuz ’pinted on dis side, an’ de mo’ -I think erbout it de mo’ I think hits de rong side; de -fac’ is, meh mind is pow’ful ’stressed. You see, I bin -rasslin’ wid bof sides ub de ’bate, an’ de consequation -is, I is bin dreamin’ ’bout ole shirks an’ young shirks -fuh two weeks, till I kyant res’; an’ I kyant see why -dey tuck such uh fishy subjec’ ter ’bate erbout. Reposin’ -on erligion, I shall res’ meh remarks on de salbation -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>part ub dis ’bate, an’ I wan’ ter say rite heah dat -salbation an’ de funnel-shape pen is all dat will preserb -you fum dem shirks. We <i>mus’</i> hab de pen, fuh ef’n -da is anyone heah ornsartin erbout deah faith, an’ -nach’ly timid like many ub de sistus (<i>ub cose we men -ain’ feard</i>), dat pen mus’ be built an’ de rails kivvered -wid tar, ter keep dem shirks fum chawin’ de rails. -Now, we kin make uh funnel-shaped pen, an’ hab de -mouf ub de funnel jes’ big ernuf fuh one at uh time -ter go in; de shirks, ub cose, kyant git in.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Wilson Small (interrupting): “Why kyant dey git -in? Kyant dey jump same ez you? Dey kin chaw -up de pen. Dey is monstus sens’ble, an’ ef’n dey raal -hongry dey would jump in, tell dey fill dat pen an’ -hab all ub dem moners in uh cluster.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon Mink: “You kyant qualify what you say, -an’ fum yo’ talk, uh pusson mite s’pose de shirks -know’d deah A. B. C.’s. Mon dat, you ain’ in dis -’bate! Wha you cum fum, anyhow?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fum Queen Anne’s County; I’m uh free pusson.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon: “Well, we don’ ’low no free niggahs ter -’bate heah!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Suppose meh sistah ’longs ter Mars John Tilghman? -What den?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Set down; we ain’ talkin’ ’bout yo’ sistah, an’ dis -subjec’ is ’stressin’ ernuf ’doutin you breakin’ de hyarts -ub dese po’ sistus talkin’ erbout <i>jumpin’</i> shirks!”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>Hesakiah Sprouts: “Fris, you ain’ got salbation -nuff in yo’ heart, dat’s what’s de matter wid you! -Ef’n you had uh bin wha Jona wuz, in de whale’s -belly fuh three days, you’d uh had spavins an’ cramps, -kase you wudn’ had any faith an’ condidence in de -whale, but Jona did.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Frisby Jemes: “Hessa, ef’n you had bin ris’ by -de qual’ty you wudn’ say belly in de presence ub dese -sistus; hits bad nuff in de presence ub shirks. Den -ergin, da ain’ no whales in dis ’bate.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hessa: “Why, you don’ no nuffin erbout de Bible, -Fris! Talkin’ ’bout qual’ty; I reckon de prodigal son -’longed ter de qual’ty, didn’t he? His father had -plenty ub serbants, fuh de Bible say: ‘An’ when he -cum ter hissef he said, “How many hired serbants ub -meh father’s hab bread ter spare an’ I perish wid honger?”’ -An’ now, lis’n to dis: ‘An’ he fain wud hab -filled his <i>belly</i> wid de husks dat de swine did eat.’ -Now, ef’n Jona, de prodigal son, St. Matthew, King -Solomon, Jerry Myah, Genesis, an’ lars, but not leas’, -John de Babtis, who all hab spoke on dis subjec’, -didn’ cum fum de qual’ty, wha’ did de qual’ty cum -fum? I will preserb de res’ ub meh remarks fuh de -’clusion.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Aunt Kyarline (in a whisper): “Hes, don’ you -mine Fris; his haid bin turnt since he bin drivin’ de -coach fuh Ole Miss.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>Uncle Reubin Viney was Sir Oracle among the negroes. -He was very pious and austere, looked like an -old portrait, could read a little, and spent his Sundays -in reading and memorizing verses from the Bible. If -he talked to you five minutes he would quote something -from the Bible. When he got up all ears were -listening, and all mouths were open. He said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sistus, brudders an’ chillun, I is bin readin’ -an’ studdyin’ fuh three weeks on dis ’bate, -an’ Becky say she is tired ub dippin’ candles fuh me -ter read by. De young oxen I is brakin’ is de wus’ -I eber han’led; so worryin’ wid dem in de day time -an’ rasslin’ wid dis ’bate at night, mecks me truly glad -dat de time is come ter arbiter. I shall try an’ confine -mehsef ter one word—watah. You will see de application -pres’ny. Sister Sue, meck dat boy teck his musrat -gum of’n de pew; you kin set yo’ musrat gum in de -mash ez much ez you want, but not on dese pews, kase -dey’re sanctified.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We read in de fus’ book ub Gensis, ’dat a ribber -went out ub Edum ter watah de gyarden,’ an’ in Sams, -‘He maketh me ter lie down in green pastures, he -leadeth me beside de still watahs.’ De <i>still</i> watah -wuz de drink ub Mars Adum an’ Miss Eve in -deah Edum home. Da wan’ no snakes, shirks, frogs, -whales, er crockdiles in dat watah, fuh de Bible spressify -hit wuz <i>still</i> watah. An’ mon dat, it mussa bin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>fresh, kase dey drunk it, an’ it mussa bin jes’ ez clare -ez uh jewdrap, fuh I heah uh gre’t Meffodis’ preacher -say: ‘It ’flected back de lubliness ub Miss Eve when -she dress hersef.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Aunt Tillie: “Uncle Reubin, Miss Eve didn’ hab -no clos’ ter dress wid!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin: “Well, I didn’ say what sort she -put on; mout erbin crows-foot, spechly ef’n de fros’ -had kilt de fig leaves, er it mout erbin Firginny -Creeper, er she mout uh rap hersef in clusters ub -grapevines; we all no dar wan’ no fashion in <i>dem days</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“De Bible say: ‘Ez in water de face anserreth ter -face, so de hart ub man ter man;’ so de water wuz Miss -Eve’s lookin’ glass, dat’s what it mean; an’ all dat -watah wuz fresh; de consequation wuz, da wuz no -shirks in it.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Brooks, from Queen Anne’s County: “I rid -20 miles ter heah dis ’bate, an’ I wan’ ter no what -watah got ter do wid it. Ev’body seems ter hab fogot -de shirks.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin: “I has jes’ ’cited uh vus fum -Sams, an’ I will ’cite an nerr fum Proberbs: ‘Tho’ -thou shouldst bray uh fool in uh morter ’mong -wheat wid uh pessal, yet will not his foolishness depart -fum him.’ Why, Brer Brooks, ef’n it hadn’ bin fuh -watah de twelve Petracks mout neber bin bo’n. De -narration say dat Mars Jacob met Miss Rachael at de -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>well, an’ ef’n de well had uh bin dry he mout neber -hab met de mudder ub de Petracks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, what wud dat gyarden bin ’dout plenty watah? -Dey wud uh lef’ it, an’ got an nerr gyarden; fuh -not only Mars Adum an’ Miss Eve baved in dat Paradice -watah, but de seeds an’ de vegetables sipped it, de -flowers when deah faces got dusty, washed in it, de -cups ub de blossoms hilt it, I specks, till de watah tu’n -inter perfume, an’ I kin almos’ see de jewdraps -hangin’ on ev’y leaf, mo’ lubly dan uh oyster pearl. -It makes Uncle Reubin glad when he looks at watah, -fuh it tu’ns our mills, gibs us cawn bred, brings de big -schooners wid our boots, shoes, clothes an’ mullasses, -an’ when de tide comes in, ’specially at sundown, when -de birds is goin’ ter deah nesses, an’ de busy bees is -wanderin’ home, da is nuffin I lubs mo’ ter look at, -it’s so quiet an’ repose. No place kin be lonely ef’n -watah is da; but it’s uh sad thing, too, fuh what is mo’ -’stressin’ dan eyes full ub tears. But mos’ ub all, -young people ub dis chuch don’ fogit dat watah wash -yo’ sins uh way, an’ meck you ez white ez de lam’. -But I am condident da is only one kind fit fuh ’mersion, -an’ dat’s fresh watah.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sister Sue: “Dat’s it; now yo’r climin’ dem golden -stairs, Brer Viney!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sally Mink: “Blessid be his brow, he’s fairly -chantin’ de songs ub de Sams.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>Mrs. Rodgers’ Ned: “I is convicted, Brer Viney, -an’ I plays de fiddle no mo’!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin: “Now, you begin ter see de application. -Jordan, wha’ John de Babtis, wuz ’mersed, -is fresh watah. Not far fum Jordan is de dead sea, -which has mo’ salt dan Miles Ribber, kase it will float -uh man same ez uh egg; but de ’Postles tuck de fresh -watah, kase I hab no doubt skirks wuz bad in dem -days, an’ prob’ly wusser, ’speci’lly in de dead sea. Jes’ -think ub our dear sistus, trem’lin’, soaked wid faith -an’ salbation, speckin’ ev’y minit ter hab deah legs bit -orf! Da ain’ uh sistuh in dis chuch dat ain’ had -chills dis spring. De cold watah got nuffin ter do wid -it; it’s shirk fright; dat’s what’s de matter wid ’em. -But blessin’s cum in disguise, an’ Providence -mus’ hab brought dis ’bate, fuh it sot me ter readin’, -thinkin’ an’ prayin’, an’ I am confluent we will all -hab ter be babtize a-<i>fresh</i>; den da will be mo’ moners, -mo’ shoutin’, an’ bless Gord, no shirk fright. I shall -hab mo’ ter say ef’n de application ain’ well ondastood.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hesakiah Sprouts (in a whisper): “Pawson Demby, -uh young man jes’ cum in wants ter speak ter -you. He is bashful; bin peepin’ an’ lis’nin’ at de do’. -Mebby Uncle Reubin’s speechifyin’ hab made salbation -in his heart.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jes’ so! Young man, who you ’long ter? Mars -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>John Skinner? Well, wispuh what’s in yo’ heart; don’ -be feared, kase salbation’s free!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Pawson Demby, yo’ dogs is treed uh coon ’cross -Peach Blossom Creek. Meh boat is on dis side.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Pawson Demby: “Belubbed sistus, as Brer -Viney’s gre’t an’ pow’ful speech has fuh <i>ever</i> ’cided -dis question fuh fresh watah, it is move, secon’, an’ -carried, dat dis meetin’ ’jurn.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span> - <h2 class='c005'>ROMP’S MUSTAKE.</h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c015'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Lars Sunday night me<a id='r6' /><a href='#f6' class='c012'><sup>[6]</sup></a> an’ Fred went ter de swamp</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ it wan’ many minits fo’ we heahd ole Romp</div> - <div class='line'>Talkin’ ter hissef, an’ tree’in’ up’n uh pine</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dat wuz all obergrow’d wid uh big grapevine.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Speak ter him Romp! Mus’ be uh ’possum, Fred,</div> - <div class='line in2'>De way dat dog is cacklin’ an’ losin’ ub he hed.</div> - <div class='line'>An’ feedin’ on dese fros-bit grapes an’ fat</div> - <div class='line in2'>Ef he won’ meck yo’ lip go flip-flop, teck dis hat.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Well, it won’ be long fo’ de breck ub day;</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ de possum, showly, he kyant git ’stray,</div> - <div class='line'>So den I’ll clime dat little black-gum tree;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dat pine’s too full ub grapevines futto see.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>De day broke clare, an’ up’n de tree I clum,</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ in dem grapevines, twixt de pine an’ gum,</div> - <div class='line'>A ressin ub his’self, yaller, slick an’ fat,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Da lay uh gre’t big ornry Thormas cat!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I tuck uh match an’ lit de varmint’s tail,</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ when he jump po’ Romp an’ Fred dey wail;</div> - <div class='line'>Dat yaller Thormas cat, on fire, ub cose,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dey tuck to be uh red-hot, flamin’ ghose!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Romp ain’ no use fuh night dog any mo’,</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ neber ter de swamp he wants ter go;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ when he comes uh cross uh wile grapevine</div> - <div class='line in2'>He al’ays gits relarmed an’ ’gins ter growl an’ whine.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>Ef Romp had bin ub houn’ blood, stid ub cur,</div> - <div class='line in2'>He’d know’d de difference in de scent ub fur.</div> - <div class='line'>So arfter dis I wants uh thorrybred;</div> - <div class='line in2'>When dey speaks up’n uh tree you ain’ misled.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>But if I steals de finis’ thorrybred</div> - <div class='line in2'>Da ain’ no use ub praisin’ him ter Fred—</div> - <div class='line'>He’s jined de chuch. Dat yaller Thormas cat</div> - <div class='line in2'>He tho’t uh ghose is all de cause ub dat.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I ’gin ter think mehsef dat cat uh witch,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Fuh in de swamp ef it is dark ez pitch,</div> - <div class='line'>An he cum out! de branch it looks so bright</div> - <div class='line in2'>De brabest niggah’s obercome wid fright.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I ’spises cats, an’ fuh dem hab no use,</div> - <div class='line in2'>But it’s mos’ time I’d ended wid uh buse,</div> - <div class='line'>Fuh when I think erboutin’ “Romps mustake”</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dis haid ub mine cummences soon ter ache.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span> - <h2 class='c005'>LITTLE BILLY’S PUMPKIN.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Hayland Meadow was some ten miles in length, and -on the upper half, used for growing timothy and for -grazing, here and there stood aristocratic-looking -trees—poplar, black-walnut, majestic oaks, imposing -and graceful elms. The lower half was thickly -wooded with smaller trees of many varieties, among -which flourished the persimmon. Nature had with -generous hands festooned many of the trees with wild -grapevines, and when these were in bloom and twilight -dews fell upon their blossoms, they filled that -meadow with a delicious fragrance, sweet enough for -Eden; every dewdrop in the dell seemed perfumed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through this vale, over mossy stones and snowy -pebbles, chattered and meandered a crystal creek -which joined other streams and emptied at Hayland -marsh into Miles River.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The woodcock nested there, and in warm June days -dozed under the shade of the fine old trees; and there -the oriole sang a lullaby to her hanging cradle that -rocked in the wind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The tranquilness of the place was never disturbed -save by the canticles of song birds and the almost -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>nightly baying of some coon dog, for until of late -the darkies never thought of going anywhere else -to put up coons or ’possums than “Haylan’” Branch, -as they called it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Little Billy was not pious, and, if he knew his prayers, -never said them. He doted on all sorts of sports, -and, though a poor shot, entered all the turkey-shooting -contests Thanksgiving Day. He chewed the best -tobacco, danced with the dancers, played the banjo -and jewsharp, always had a jug of molasses, a pair of -gum boots, fiddle-strings and fiddle—all purchased -with his coon, ’possum and muskrat money.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scipio Jones’ experience had pretty well frightened -off Miles River Neck hunters (see “Romp’s Mustake”), -but of late darkies from Queen Anne’s and -Caroline Counties had been hunting Hayland Branch, -and Billy became jealous, wanting to be the only -hunter, and sought to get his Mars Pinckney, who -owned the meadow, to help him; and his success was -more than he anticipated.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Romp’s Mustake” had been talked about until the -story had so grown that most of the darkies thought -the cat a ghost, and among the converts was Scip’ -Jones. The matter was discussed at bush meetings, -corn-huskings and cake-walks; so after the christening -of Mollie Jones’ son (Scipio Jonas Jones) at Zion -Church, John Poney, Uncle Stephen Demby and -Scip’ Jones were appointed to investigate Hayland -Branch.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_048f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARS PINCKNEY WHEN A BOY.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>Billy was at the christening, of course, and wanted -the ghost story to flourish, as it kept Talbot coon hunters -from the branch. So he told his Mars Pinckney -that “niggahs cum fum Kyarline an’ Queen Anne’s -County ter hunt dat mash an’ branch, an’ ’skusin’ -de Talbot hunters, he wouldn’ be s’prised ef dey som’ -time, when dey hongry, teck de oysters fum de cove;” -(Billy did)—“an’, young Marster, won’ you qualify -me ter say dat de branch hanted pow’ful?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>His Mars’ Pinckney said with sternness: “Billy, -that is not the truth! I want, however, to keep rogues -and intruders out, and I will make and give you something -that will scare every nigger out of my meadow -from this day forward forevermore.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>So his Mars Pinckney, full of youth and deviltry, -took a big pumpkin, cut a hole through the top and -bottom, and through the latter pushed a tallow candle -with a big wick. He cut eyeholes and a mouth, and, -at Billy’s suggestion, tacked on a medium-sized -cucumber for a nose, and on the sides or cheeks of the -pumpkin, put sheepskin for whiskers, as Billy said, -“ter meck hit look sassy;” and then a grapevine was -trimmed up and tied through the top, and Billy was -instructed what to do.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Parson Phil Demby was to baptize some sisters -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>the next day—Sunday—and Billy thought that a -good time to consummate his plans.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was very cold. The boys were skating, and the -sisters were dipped where the farmers had been cutting -ice the day before. When Tilly Mink was -shoved under she had one of her pockets full of -apples. The water shocked her so, she immediately -commenced to throw her arms around, pawed the -bottom, pawed Parson Demby overturned an’ -thoroughly drenched him (it was an honest dip) and -pawed and tore the pocketful of apples; and when -Little Billy saw the apples come popping up, bobbing -like net-corks, and the Parson’s haste to get on dry -land, he called out:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jes’ gib huh ’nubba dip, Pawson Demby; huh sins -is cummin’ up fum huh in clustahs!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The negroes on the shore thought salvation at last -had struck Billy, and, the immersion over, they -crowded about him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy in a moment embraced his opportunity, and -after a few remarks about the cold, wanted to know -where he could buy another coon dog; expatiated -upon the coon and ’possum tracks he had recently -seen in Hayland meadows, and further said, apparently -unconcerned:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I kyant ondastan why dey don’ hunt dat branch -mo’. Ef’n I had uh nubba dog (Jasper is foot-sore, an’ -I gwine ter git one), I’d pestah dat lubly branch when -ebnin’ cum, an’ ornless hit snow er rain, I’d hunt ev’y -parf in it.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_050f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Jes’ gib huh an-nubba dip, Pawson Demby, huh sins is cummin’ up fum huh in clusters!</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>Then and there the witch committee arranged for -a hunt the next night. They asked Billy to go, but “he -wuz gwine ter Kyarline County futto buy uh dog.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The moon was new and went down about 11 -o’clock, and Billy calculated they would be along -about that hour. So, holding the grapevine in his -hand, he climbed a <i>witch-elm</i> tree, threw the vine -over its slippery limb, rested his pumpkin-face on the -ground, and whilst he was “meddowtatin’” he heard -the voice of Scipio say to his thoroughbred hound: -“Put ’im up, Noahy!” and later, “I like de stile -an’ rovin’ ub dat dog, don’ you, Uncle Stephen?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Stephen said, “Monstus fine! Carry -hissef jes’ like uh houn’ I hunted over lars’ wintah -in Kyarline County dat wuz stole fum de man dat los’ -him; an’ I heah him say he hope dat dog tree nuffin -fuh de pusson dat stole him ’ceppin’ ghos’es, witches -an’ sperrits, an’ ef’n he ebba ketch him, dis uth wud -trimble when he twiss he neck.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scip’s eyes began to feel too big—his roguery rebuked -him; Noahy was the stolen dog. But his -conscience was momentarily relieved by Noahy’s giving -tongue, and was tickled and delighted when -Uncle Stephen said:</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>“Dat’s uh coon, an’ dat’s uh qualified coon dog; -uh sweetah tongue I ain’ heahd sence Mars’ Nickey’s -Jerry-Myah died, name arfter a profit; an’ he wuz a -profit, too.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time they were all in a brisk trot, Uncle -Stephen grumbling about the pace and declaring he -could not keep up.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The witch committee were about one hundred and -fifty yards from Billy, and when he saw the dog some -thirty yards off, and hunting towards him, he quickly -lit the tallow candle and slowly pulled the pumpkin -face a few feet from the ground. Noahy saw it in -a moment, retreated and yelped like a wild dog. All -was consternation, and all hearts went pitapat. Presently -Uncle Stephen, who had the most courage, -said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“’Pears ter me dat dog cum ’long wid som’ varment -he ain’ ’quainted wid. I had a composation -yistiddy week wid uh coon hunter I’s knowed fuh uh -long time, an’ he say dogs dat ain’ ris on de watah -al’ays gits skeered de fus’ time dey see pompusses an’ -shirks playin’ on de ribber sho’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scipio caressed the dog with trembling hands, and -said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’ ondastan’ de ’spression ub dis dog. Otters -is ornpropper varments ter projic’ wid; maybe he -s’prised a sleepin’ otter, an’ de otter smack him, an’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>den babtiz him in de creek tell he mos’ drown. Dey -will do it! ’Specially on de new moon.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>John Poney said: “De dog mus’ uh scent dat witch -Scipio bu’n de tail ub, sted killin’. Hit wuz -ornrichious not ter kill dat witch, an’ de fus’ ting -we know, de witch will hab young uns, an’ den dis -branch will hab ter be gib up, kase uh branch full ub -scan’lous witches is wuss’n uh woods full ub sperrits.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scipio Jones (affrighted): “Don’ talk dat way, -Brer Poney.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time Billy had slowly pulled his pumpkin -face some twenty feet from the ground, and as the -<i>witch-elm</i> bow was gently moved by the breeze, it -gave the pumpkin face such a weird look that even -Billy got <i>lonesome</i>. Uncle Stephen, less timid and -more observant, though behind, was the first to see -the pumpkin face. With a gasp, and dropping quickly -on his knees, he wailed:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ef’n you is a ghos’, Mars’ Ghos’, I ’spec you is -uh ghos’, an’ ef’n you is uh witch, my Mistis Witch, -I ’spec you is uh witch! I nebber sed nuffin ergin -ghos’es an’ witches in meh life, an’ I’s 70 year ole—an’ -nebber see an’ bleebe in witches an’ ghos’es; but -I bleebe now, ’fo’ de Lawd, I do! an’ now I ondastan’ -why dis branch so full ub <i>witch-elm</i> an’ <i>witch-hazel</i> -trees.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just then Billy gave his grapevine a gentle pull, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>bobbed the pumpkin, and Uncle Stephen, more -frightened than ever, exclaimed in great humility:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“O Lawd, ’fen’ Stephen, an’ let he salbation resis’ -dat witch, an’ de witch resis’ he salbation, an’ keep -de witch fum leadin’ po’ Stephen ter”——</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is you got de kramps, Uncle Stephen?” half -frantically exclaimed Scip’. Uncle Stephen pointed -his trembling hands at the witch-elm tree, and Scipio -and John saw the pumpkin face.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few minutes thereafter Uncle Stephen was trotting -homeward alone—tired, dejected and scared -almost out of his senses, and every now and then -ejaculating, as he stumbled and trotted along:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dat orn’ry niggah, Scipio Jones, done breck up -coon huntin’ in dis branch!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scipio and John ran until they came to a haystack -some two miles away, in which they made a hole and -hid themselves until daylight, when Scipio took -Noahy back to his owner.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On Sunday next Parson Demby gave notice “Dat -Scipio Jones had got salbation in he hyart, an’ wud -be babtiz’ Sunday cummin’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was a great difference of opinion among the -committee as to the appearance of the witch, and this -was their testimony:</p> - -<p class='c010'>Scip’ thought “Hit wuz erboutin ez big ez uh -cow, an’ had hohns ez long ez uh fencerail.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>John Poney thought “Hit wuz ’boutin de size ub -uh shock ub wheat, wid eyes ’bout de size ub buckets, -an’ uh mouf ’bout ez big ez uh shirk’s.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Stephen said he “Wuz sho’ de face wuz ’boutin -ez big ez uh barrel, an’ melted lead run fum he nose, -an’ pusspuration ub fire drapped fum all ober he face, -an’ ebbry time de win’ blow his eyes wink an’ his -mouf larf.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few days after the ghost investigation Little Billy -went over to the quarters of Uncle Stephen to hear -the news, and found the old man putting his little -grandchild to sleep and singing:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Sooky licked de ladle,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ de baby rocked de cradle.</div> - <div class='line in2'>Rock——</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Billy interrupted him, saying: “Howdy, Uncle -Stephen?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old man was glad to see him, nervous and -startled, too, for he had not gotten over his witch -fright.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Po’ly, Billy, ve’y po’ly; pow’ful mis’ry in meh -back an’ legs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy said, in an innocent sort of way: “I jes’ -bought fum Kent County de fines’ kin’ ub coon dog—cross -’tween uh houn’ an’ rat-tan-terrier—an’ I -drap in ter arsk ef’n you won’ teck uh hunt wid me -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>in Haylan’ Branch to-night. Tell me hit’s full ub -coons, an’ uh hunt mout do yo’ back good.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Stephen gave Billy a solemn, stern look and -said: “I wan’ nuffin ter do wid coons, ’possums er -’coon dogs. Scip’ Jones an’ John Poney dey bof -exerted me. I’s los’ meh tase fuh night hun’in’; an’ -when you heah de ’po’t ub de witch committee, you -will sell yo’ dog, kase when dat ’po’t gits knowed, da -won’ be no use fuh coon dogs, leas’wise ’roun’ heah. -I had uh talk wid Caesar Butler yistiddy, an’ he say: -‘He sho’ dat Haylan’ Branch witch tuck an’ stole he -’possum fum de ashes lars’ fall, an’ bin stealin’ he -oystus all wintah.’ Now de wexin’ quession is, What -we gwine ter do? Hit wud not s’prise me ef’n I move -fum de county.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Uncle Stephen, what wuz de ’port ub de witch -committee?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, dey met lars’ night over Bennett Tumlinson’s -wheelwright shop. Pawson Demby wuz chusen -ter teck de cheah. Den we hed uh long composation -an’ hit wuz ’cided dat ghos’es may lib in cows’ hohns, -but witches don’—leas’wise de breed dat’s in Haylan’ -Branch. We also ’cide dat ef’n all de cowhohns in -Miles Ribber Neck wuz made inter one hohn, hit wud -be too small fuh de witch ub Haylan’ Branch ter ’pose -in. Hit wuz also ’cluded dat de sperrit in Haylan’ -Branch wuz uh witch, kase hit hab whiskuhs, an’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>ghos’es don’ hab whiskuhs. Pawson Demby say he -sho’ hit’s de same breed ub witches dat’s spok’ ub in -Samuel de Fus’, and dat we mus’ stop coon hun’in’, -hintimate Saul, an’ all go ter witch hun’in’ an’ witch -killin’. Dat de Bible ’splicitly spressify in de book -ub Ex-odus: ‘Thou shal’ not suffah uh witch ter lib.’ -Pawson Demby mus’ be mustakin’. Hit kyant be de -same breed ub witches Saul kilt, an’ ef’n dey is, dey’s -grown monstus since dem days; an’ I bleebe ’sted -ub de brudders ub Zion Chuch ’stroyin’ de witches, de -witches will ’stroy de brudders. Talk ’bout babtizin’ -in de presence ub shirks! I’d rudder sleep wid shirks -dan see dat witch ergin. Hits de lars’ time I’s gwine -on any committee! Mo’n dat, I’s made up meh min’ -ter jine uh chuch dat don’ ’low coon huntin’, an dat -chuch is de Presbyters.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the war Billy, old and dispirited, drifted to -a small town in Maryland. His independence, quaint -humor (narrations and mirations) soon attached the -townspeople to him, who kept him in tobacco, clothed -and made him comfortable. Billy never tired of -expatiating upon his old home, haunts, ole Miss and -ole Mars. It was his nature to exaggerate, and he told -about the fo’-in-hands he drove (he never drove) until -it got to be a joke; and they would tease him and say -they had heard he only drove mules and steers, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>made him furious, and he would brandish his cane at -his accusers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When Mr. Cleveland was first elected President -Billy was very much disturbed. He thought all the -negroes would be sold into slavery, and his loquaciousness -and solicitude suggested the following joke, -which was played upon him to the amusement of the -township:</p> - -<p class='c010'>At several places in the town, to which Billy’s attention -was called, printed notices were tacked up -that on a certain day all negroes in Maryland would -be sold to the highest bidder. When Billy saw it, he -swore lustily, and on the day of sale he was made to -stand on a goodsbox, and cried to the highest bidder. -It was a very funny sight. Billy said: “Ef’n ole -Mars, er Miss Henrietta wuz erlive dey’d -kill ebery lars’ one ub you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The spectators walked around him, looked in his -mouth feigning to tell his age, and praised his noble -appearance. Billy looked scornfully at the laboring -people, some of whom had been instructed to bid on -him, and graciously at the gentry present. A pretended -buyer asked if he belonged to the church.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy said: “I don’ ’long ter no chuch, an’ I ain’ -gwine ter jine, an’ gib up meh fiddle an’ banjo.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just then some one looked him over and said: -“Splendid, honest face! I will give $5,000 for him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>Billy said, with great pomposity: “I al’ays knewed -uh quality niggah, an’ I’s glad ter be uh slabe, ef’n uh -gemman buy me. I tole de niggahs ef’n dey wote de -Dimcrat ticket dey’d all be sol’ ergin, but dey sech -ornry fools.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Finally a man said $5,000 was nothing for him; -he would give $10,000. Whereupon a carpenter -nailing shingles on a roof within earshot of the sale, -knowing Billy’s weakness for talking about his ole -master’s horses, and thinking to draw him out and -please him, asked: “Can Billy drive a carriage?” -Whereupon Billy broke up the sale by saying: “What -in de h—l you wan’ ter know fuh? You nebba own -uh kerridge.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span> - <h2 class='c005'>SERMON.<a id='r7' /><a href='#f7' class='c012'><sup>[7]</sup></a></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Befo’ preachin’ I gib notice dat Miss Henrietta -gwine ter gib uh cake-walk Chris’mus night ter all de -serbents ’ceppin’ Scipio Jones. Dar will also be uh -feas’ in de brick kitchen arfter de walk. De ’freshments -will be uh cake ub figs, two clustahs ub resins, -harf bushel ub kisses, pancakes, an’ uh keg ub molasses. -Some sistuh at de rebate ax Aunt Phillis how she -cook pancakes. She ’ques’ me ter say: “Three eggs -bet up light, wid uh pint ub milk an’ uh pint ub -flower, den add uh tablespoonful ub butter an’ lard, -den cook, <i>de mo’ carelesser de better</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>All de chillun dat got bladders hog killin’ time an’ -kep’ ’em, kin bus’ ’em Chris’mus night arfter de cake-walk.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>Mollie Jones will also hab her two chillun chrissin. -She qualify me futto say de names chusin will be -Scipio Jonas Jones an’ Nimrod.</p> - -<p class='c010'>De c’lection lars’ Sunday wuz 83 cents. Aunt -Phillis wuz sick wid de rumatiz an’ wan’ heah. She -’ques’ me ter gib notice when she cum she will gib uh -levy—dat will make 95½ cents.</p> - -<p class='c010'>De deacons has ’cided ter buy wid it, de new strain -ub watermillion seeds, call de Annarandal Sweets.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Dey will be put in little packs, an’ straws will be -drawed fuh de packs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Da will be uh fes-ti-val in de meetin’ house nex’ -monf. De money made will be tuck ter buy uh -kyarpet to go ’roun’ de pulpit. Some ub de brudders -fum Kyarline has promis’ twelve gourds, uh new kine -wid curled handles, one bushel ub sweet potatar slips, -eight ’possums, an’ fo’ new mus’rat gums.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I am charm ter say de deacons has secur’d fum -Mr. Plummer fuh 25 cents uh monf de priblig ub babtizin’ -in de Wye Mills dam, ’ceppin in de winter, <i>jes’ -befo’ dey cut ice</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>You will find meh tex’ in de 63 Sam, 6 Vus, writ -by King Dabid when he wuz in de wilderness ub Juda -an’ hidin’ hissef in de mountain ub Zip.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“When I recommember de ’pon meh bed, an’ meddowtate -on de in de night watches.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sistus, brudders an’ little chillun, we might fill dis -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>chuch full ub some ub Mars Nickey’s craps, cawn, -oats, wheat, hay, fodder, an’ buckwheat, an’ fill de -corners wid spider’s webs, wasp nesses, mouse beds an’ -sich like, hab de chuch jam full, an’ ubcose when it -full it kyant be any fuller, den dey wud hab ter go -ter de bawn; but dat what dey call mem’ry require no -bawn. It can be packed jes’ like dis chuch, ev’y crack -filled, ev’y little hole chinked, an’ yit da wud be plenty -ub room.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ef’n yo’ mem’ry wuz chock full ub all de chunes in -de Zion hymbook, an’ uh camp meetin’ cum wid 500 -new hyms, dat mem’ry wud right straight meck uh -place fuh dem chunes an’ teck ’em in widout crowdin’ -anything.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ef’n de Angel Gabrul wuz ter meet you, an’ gib -you ’struction fuh uh week, an’ say: “I miricle you ter -recommember all dis Scriptur’,” dat strange thing -called mem’ry wud in uh moment make room, de mos’ -triflin’ thing wud not be ’sturbed. Oh! it’s uh pow’ful -thing, mem’ry. “When I recommember de ’pon -meh bed”—dat’s de application. What wud we do -widoutin mem’ry?</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_062f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARS PINCKNEY’S HOME. “FAUSLEY.”</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>S’pose, fuh instinct, de tremlin’ stars <i>fogot</i> ter cum -out ter keep deah faithful watch; s’pose de moon fogot -de stars an’ lay uh sleep fuh six months. But wussa -still, s’pose de sun fogot de sunrise, sunset an’ -twilight, an’ as de Bible say, “Darknes’ brooded ober -de deep.” Mars Pinckney say, “No wegetables an’ -plants wud grow, ’ceppin pisin ones; de trees wud all -die, da wud be no birds singin’ ’ceppin de martingales -an’ hooppo-wills, no bees hummin’, no flowers -bloomin’, no playful colts an’ skippin’ lam’s—it wud -be like de lars’ day fuh sinnahs.” But I heah somebody -cummin’ long talkin’ ter hissef. It’s mem’ry, -an’ he meck de stars say: “I recommember an’ lub -de young moon, de harf moon an’ de harves’ moon.” -Den de man in de moon say, “’Cose you do; kase I am -de crown an’ you de stars in it.” Den de moon say, “I -recommember de ribbers, coves, creeks, all de beases -ub de field, all de fishes dat keep quiet in de day but -leap an’ play in meh meller light, an’ I rides th’oo de -clowds mo’ prowder dan King Solomon did wid his -prancin’ race hosses an’ chariots in Egyp’ lan’ co’tin’ -Phareo’s daughter; kase I is so gran’ I am bleege -ter be noble, fuh I hab millions ub trees, ribbers, -creeks, ribbulets, fruits an’ flowers—all de beases ub -de field ter burhol, but dey hab only one moon ter -make mirations erboutin, so I am de gran’ oberseer ub -de night.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den heah cum de sun creepin’ up, sorter playin’ -hide an’ seek wid de mawnin’, an’ say ter de dawn, -“Recommember me! Recommember me!” Den de -dawn put his arms roun’ de yearth an’ you heah de -sweet jewdraps say ter de flowers, trees an’ watermillion -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>blossoms, “Good bye;” an’ right ’way de birds -sip de jewdraps jes’ befo’ dey melt, ter wet deah -th’oats fuh de lars’ mawnin’. Hallaluja, dey’r gwine -ter sing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Bimeby de sunbeams cummenc’ ter play an’ say, “I -recommember uh dark place; I will drap in an’ meck -it bright,” an’ de sweet potater wines, cucumber wines, -all de wegetables, fruits, flowers, craps an’ grasses is -kiss’ an’ caress’ by dem sunbeams.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ah, sistus an’ chillun, I cud preach uh monf -boutin dat sun, but I mus’ pars on an’ say befo’ I include -recommembrance, dat we kin all be sunbeams; -we kin hab uh brighter light in our bresses dan de sunlight, -ef’n we recommember what babtism will do, -feas’ our hyarts on de ripe fruit ub salbation, hab on -our feet de golden slippas ub faith, an’ shoostrings ub -justifycation. Den de sunlight ub de c’lestial home -will flud our souls ez we sing an’ pray ter be at de -lars’ day ’mong de cherupins an’ serupins dat dances—no, -not dances—dat shouts by de light ub de sun, -moon an’ stars, on de c’lestial sho’.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We will now teck de nex’ application ub meh tex’, -“Meddowtate on dee in de night watches.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brudderin, all nature is uh meddowtationist; dat is, -all satisfied nature.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Did you eber think erboutin it?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, teck fus’ uh cow, when she gits plenty ub -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>grass, lays down an’ chaws huh cud, blinks, winks -huh eyes an’ meddowtates, an’ ef’n she is not uh -stripper, I specks she thinks how nice it will be when -somebody milks huh gre’t big bag, so full ub milk dat -it will ’stress huh befo’ long ef’n it’s not stripped.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uh settin’ hen is uh gre’t muser (I wan’ ter ’splain -dat what dey call meddowtatin’ in de Bible days, dey -call musin’ in dese days, an’ what dey call damsels -in Bible days, we call ladies in dese days). Yes! uh -settin’ hen is uh gre’t meddowtater, prob’ly one ub -de gre’tes’. Dey sets twenty-one days, an’ dey -say ter git uh good hatchin’ dey should be -sot on twenty-one eggs, so as ter ’low huh -one egg uh day ter muse on. ’Cose she thinks -erboutin what de diffunt color ub de chicks will be, -how many will be roostus, how many hens, how many -will be black legs, specklelegs, yaller legs, an’ how -many good layers. Den she gib uh little cackle, which -is larfin’ ’mong fowls, an’ say ter huhsef: “Heah cum -ole Miss Osman, de hous’keeper, de keys jinglin’ same -ez bells fum huh ap’on strings, lookin’ ergin fuh dat -speckle hen, settin’ an’ musin’ un’er de steps right at -de do’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>But, brudderin, de gre’tes’ meddowtaters is de ’cendents -ub Mars Adam an’ Miss Ebe, an’ ’mong de ladies -in de Bible, I s’pose Miss Rachel, de mudder ub -some ub de Petracks, wuz de slyis’ meddowtater, an’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>de mos’ ’spected, kase Uncle Reubin say she hab de -finis’ toom, de biggist chariot, an’ mos’ moners ub any -ooman de Bible speak ub. When Jacob fus’ met huh -at de well she wuz musin’; dat is, huh ’flections wuz -deep like de well. She look so peart, sweet, an’ sad-like, -de narration say, dat Jacob wep’. How-some-eber, Jacob -wuz uh unsuspectin’ shepherd, an’ wuz smut ’mejately -by Miss Rachel’s cunnin’ lubliness. Mo’n dat, -Miss Rachel had bin ris’ by de qual’ty, an’ knew’d how -ter look sorf-eyed an’ sly, jes’ like Miss Henrietta use -ter look when she feel sassy; ’sides, Miss Rachel cum -outin’ uh musin’ fambly. Her pa, Mars Laban, meddowtate -(so de Bible say) seven year befo’ he gib Miss Rachel -ter Jacob, an’ he made uh mustake den, kase -Jacob soon tu’n ornry, an’ hab fo’ wives.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One ub de gre’tes’ meddowtaters mention ’mong de -men in de Bible, is spoke ub in de fus’ book ub clover.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Rasmus Jasper Jemes: Pawson Demby, da ain’ -no book ub clover in de Bible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Did I say clover, Rasmus? Well, den, I meant de -fus’ book ub Timothy. I’s bin mowin’ grass all de -week, an’ I got ’fuse erbout de name.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But I mus’ hurry on to de gre’tes’ meddowtater in -de Bible, de one dat writ de ’squisit’ tex’ I preach fum, -King Dabid! I ain’ bin able ter fin’ it in de Bible, -but I think he mus’ uh bin close kin ter Noahy, kase -he had mos’ ez much charm ober beases, an’ he had uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span><i>arm ub steal</i>. Jes’ think ub dat! It wuz his lef’ arm. -De Bible don’ say what his right arm made ub, but I -’specks it wuz made ub steal er brass, kase he kotch de -lion by de beard wid his lef’ han’, smut an’ kilt him -wid his right han’. Now, Sampson kilt uh lion, but -it wuz uh young one. Little Dabid mus’ uh bin thinkin’ -’bout dem lions when he writ, “Meh hyart wuz <i>hot</i> -widin me; when I wuz musin’ de fire burned.” Well, -it cum ter pars dat de Lawd say unter Samuel de fus’, -“I wan’ uh king;” an’ Samuel de fus’ say, “I no uh -man named Obid, dat’s got some monstus fine sons, -but Obid he ain’ no ’count kase he fogot his son name -Jesse; but it turn out all fuh de bes’, kase Jesse got -’fended, run ’way, an’ merried what dey call in dem -days uh damsel, an’ ris uh fine lot ub sons.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>While Samuel wuz musin’ erbout deah quare -names, who should cum ’long but Jesse, deah pa. So -Samuel say, “Wha you gwine?” An’ Jesse say, “Ter -help Saul ter ’noint meh youngis’ son.” An’ Saul -meck uh ’miration erbout his oldes’ boys, an’ say, -“How many chillun you got, anyway?” An’ Jesse -say, “Six sons, an’ de youngis’ uh sweet boy name Dabid, -fair ub eyes, lubly coun’nance, an’ uh monstus -cunnin’ hyarp player. I s’pose he’s meh favorite son, -kase he so bad; dat’s why I wan’ you ter ’noint him.” -An’ Saul say, “Wha is he? I will ’noint him an’ -meck him uh king.” Jesse wuz so s’prise he almos’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>had uh spavin, an’ say, “Dat chile nuffin but uh boy, -an’ you kyant think how bad he is. Mo’n dat, I kyant -well spare him; he mines de sheep, sells de hides ub de -beases; an’ ’tain’ nuffin fuh him ter kill uh ox kyart -load uh week, ub lions, bars and striped tigers.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Belubbed, Jesse didn’ wan’ ter say anything ergin -his son, but de fac’ is, dat boy spent mos’ ub his time -playin’ de hyarp wid uh cunnin’ arm an’ han’ ub steal, -an’ wussa yit, young ez he wuz, meddowtatin’ an’ -longin’ fuh Phareo’s daughter an’ other damsels.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jesse bu’nt insects erroun’ hissef, an’ ’pon ’flection -’cided ter let he son be uh king, an’ git salbation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Befo’ I go any fudder wid dis King Dabid narration -I wan’ ter say ter de chillun in de chuch, you -don’ hab ter be so strong ter de looks ter be gran’. De -feebles’ an’ de baddes’ chile in dis chuch may meck -de strongis’ man an’ de bes’ Babtis’ preacher.</p> - -<p class='c010'>King Dabid wuz tuck fuh uh king, tho’ he wuz de -younges’ an’ de feebles’ ub dem boys, wid uh lubly -face an’ long curls, jes’ de way Miss Henrietta’s use’ -ter grow—but heah is de application:</p> - -<p class='c010'>De Lawd look in de hyart ub little Dabid; he saw -brabery, an’ de future writer ub Sams; so he right -way gib him uh arm ub steal an’ meck him king!</p> - -<p class='c010'>Will he meck you uh king?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Yas; de Lawd will gib you uh erligious arm ub -steal, meck ebery chile in dis chuch uh king in his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>army ub salbation, an’ mebbe uh Sams writer, ef’n -you intimate little Dabid.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Well, arfter dis’ gression, I cum ter de time when -Dabid grow up, hab uh beard, git mad wid Saul an’ -de Flistines, an’ meck his barbers cut orf one side ub -de Flistines’ whiskus ter tell dem in battle fum his soldiers; -so when Goliar heah tell ub it he larf, stroke he -beard, an’ say: “He nuffin’ but uh sassy boy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>How, it cum ter pars when King Dabid fine out -how Goliar talk erbout him, he den an’ da meddowtate -in de night watches how he kill Goliar, an’ s’prisin’ -ter say, he ’cluded ter kill him wid uh stone. So he -jump fum his chariot, tuck fum uh brook five stones, -put ’em in his sheppard bag, an’ in his han’ ub steal -he had uh sling. When Goliar saw him, de Bible say, -“He disdain him kase he wuz but uh striplin’” an’ he -tole him ef’n he totch him “he wud gib his flesh ter -de fowls ub de air (cose dey mus’ uh bin buzzards), an’ -ter de beases ub de field.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Goliar look so much biggah dan de cunnin’ little -hyarp player, ’magin’ dat he stop futto meddowtate, -an’ ter git his steal arm wuckin’. He put his han’ in -his sheep bag, tuck out uh stone, an’ when Goliar wuz -erboutin fo’ hunard yards orf he sling dat stone, -not ’speckin’ ter hit him de fus’ sling; but bless yo’ -souls, dat stone tuck de hole top uh he haid orf—ez -de Injuns say, “scalped him.” Den Dabid run, stood -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>on Goliar, cut de res’ ub he haid orf, hurray an’ shout, -when his sharpshooters cum up an’ run de army ub -Goliar to deah tents.</p> - -<p class='c010'>De nex’ day de man dat King Dabid wuz feared ub, -wuz feared ub King Dabid, fuh it almos’ tuck Dabid’s -bref when Saul cum wid uh white flag an’ say:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I is tuck Goliar’s place; you had better s’render; -ef’n you will I will gib you meh daughter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>David meddowtate, shuck Saul’s han’, tuck his -daughter, had huh sant ter his tent, an’ as de Bible -say, “Behabe hissef wisely.” When King Dabid -look good at Saul an’ think how small he wuz ter Goliar, -he felt peart, spunky, an’ say, “Ef’n you cud see -de mules, jackasses, chariots, an’ jablins dat I hab got -you wudn’ talk dat way” (er words signifyin’ dat).</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brudderin, Saul’s temper ris, he throw’d one ub -dem jablins at him, which Dabid dodge, run home ter -his damsel, tole huh erboutin his father-in-law. Now, -what did dat ’stress damsel say? She say, “You ain’ -heahd de wus yit. Pappy sant me word dat when you -teck yo’ robe orf, go ter baid, an’ fall uh sleep, futto -let him no; dat den he will cum an’ ’sasinate you. -Dat’s what I merried you fuh, but you got sech winnin’ -ways, you sech uh lion killer, hab sech strong -ahms, look so lubly when you play de hyarp, dat you -hab conjur me, an’ I lub you jam down ter de roots -ub meh soul. Dey shan’t ’sasinate you; so jine yo’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>army, I will put uh scarecrow in de baid, an’ while he -rejoice an’ stab de baid you kin be marchin’ on his -army.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='r8' /><a href='#f8' class='c012'><sup>[8]</sup></a>Bimeby Saul cum ’long, stole in de room, stab dat -scarecrow all ter smash; but jes’ den he heah de artil’ry -ub Dabid. So he run ter his army, an’ walk -ober uh hunard acre field full ub kilt Flistines, an’ -saw de res’ ub his army flyin’, leabin’ all deah camels -an’ jackasses.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul had de biggist army, kase dat night ’cruits cum -fum Zip, an’ de nex’ day dey met ergin, fit and skirmish, -skirmish an’ fit, till bof armies got ve’y tired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul, he ’gin ter meddowtate, an’ think King Dabid -uh witch, kase he sho’ he kilt him in baid, so he got -pow’ful skerd, ’fraid ub King Dabid—too skerd futto -wait till de night watches ter meddowtate; so he meddowtate -all day, an’ dat night he made spittoon -bridges, tuck his army ’cross de ribber, so he cud -’cruit fuh jackasses an’ camels, ez da wan’ none lef’ -’ceppin’ sixteen white asses dat pull his chariot, so he -cummenc’ ter mortify de place, sant his staff futto look -fuh uh drobe ub asses, an’ his sutler say, “We kyant -fine dem asses.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul say, “I kin fine dat drobe; so he meck bleebe -he look fuh de asses, but all de time he wuz ’rangin’ -ter ezert.” (Meh eyes is so bad I kyant wear meh specks, -so I got Uncle Reubin ter read dis gran’ narration ter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>me lars’ week; so I is preachin’ ezactly de way de Bible -say.) Well, Saul say ter Jonah, his spittoon oberseer, -“King Dabid is so cute an’ cunnin’ I’s feared he -may hab one ub dem torpeders un’er dis mountain -futto blow us up; dafo’ I am gwine ter ezert, an’ wan’ -you ter go wid me ’cross de ribber in one ub dese spittoon -bridges ter see King Dabid.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jonah say he lub King Dabid, hab de gret’s -speck fuh him, wuz anxious ter be an’ exerter, but he -had once bin in de whale’s belly three days and three -nights; so he had ernuff ub de sea. Den he wep’ on -de bres’ ub his Pappy Amelikite, who wuz skerd stiff, -an’ wuz weepin’ on de bres’ ub Jonah, who fudder say, -dat he rudder risk his life in battle, er be kilt by de -jawbone ub an ass, dan sink on one ub dem spittoon -bridges an’ be et up by shirks.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Amelikite had condidence in de spittoon bridges, -ezerted wid Saul, an’ wid two fence rails dey paddled -de boat ober ter de camp ub King Dabid.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sister Becky: “Pawson Demby, wha’ dey git fence -rails fum dem days?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sister Becky, mos’ any pusson but me wud teck a -<i>fence</i> at dat question.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ev’ybody nose dat de rods ub ches’nut, hazel, poplar -an’ pine Jacob, de son-in-law ub Mars Laban, had -piled up, wuz fence rails. In dese days dey call ’em -fence rails; in dem days, rods. Ez big uh farmer ez -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>Jacob wuz, wid all de thousands ub mules, jack-asses, -speckled cattle, goats, sheep an’ cows he had, how he -gwine ter raise de cawn, oats, wheat an’ barley he -did ’doutin fences? Why, his beases wud hab ’stroyed -his craps in one day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It cum ter pars Amelikite wen’ wid Saul, -an’ Saul say, “Tell it not in Gath” (I s’pose -dat wuz uh army ’spression er watchword); so dey -bail out de boat, paddle ’cross de ribber, an’ landed -near uh tent. Da sot King Dabid on uh sycamo’ stump -(sycamo’ trees wuz de fa-vo-rites in dem days; dat’s de -tree dat little Zackius clum), musin’ an’ I s’pose longin’ -fuh de wife ub Urihy, an’ meddowtatin’ er dotin’ -on Miss Abigail, de wife ub Nabal, who wuz smut wid -him, cudn’ resis’ his beauty, an’ cum ter him wid five -damsels ez bridemaids, all uh straddle ub asses. I -kyant gib deah names kase Samuel de fus fogot ter -mention ’em.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul open de composation, an’ speak fus by sayin’: -“King Dabid, dis man kep’ comp’ny wid me crossin’ -de ribber; his name Amelikite. We is bof’n us ezerters -an’ tired ub wah.” Den King Dabid say, “Set -down; I speck you horngry, too? Hab some kid an’ -hardtack, an’ tell me de news.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul told him de Flistines wuz mortifyin’ de mountain, -an’ ev’y man wud die befo’ dey waccinate de -place.</p> - -<p class='c010'>King Dabid ris up, shuck his curls, an’ say, “Ef’n -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>it ain’ waccinated mejately I’ll cross de ribber wid uh -thousan’ chariots, fifty thousan’ artil’ry, twenty thousan’ -cavelry on mules, all my damsels on white jackasses, -all blowin’ rams’ hohn’s, an’ de Flistin’s I don’ -’stroy I’ll teck pris’ners, throw in de ribber to de -shirks dat’s bin feedin’ heah fuh two weeks on some -ub meh dead mules.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jes’ den one ub his spies cum in an’ say, “King Dabid, -dat young mule yo’ son Ab-so-lum bin ridin’ hung -him in uh oak tree!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den King Dabid snort smoke fum his nose, weep -an’ wep’, an’ wep’ an’ weep; jes’ ez he begin ter git -pearter his fus’ wife heah Saul’s voice, so she stold -’way fum de res’ ub de wives, stood by de sycamo’ -stump an’ say ter King Dabid:</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='r9' /><a href='#f9' class='c012'><sup>[9]</sup></a>“I look thoo uh winder lars week, saw you leapin’ -an’ dancin’ befo’ de Lawd wid all yo’ might, an’ I -’spise you in my hyart!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den King Dabid cry, grit he teeth, meddowtate, an’ -made up he mind ter stop dancin’, sin no mo’ an’ jine -de Babtis’ chuch; so he throw erway his swo’d an’ say, -gimmy de pen, cummenc’ ter wright sweet Sams, an’ -he eyes shine same ez two stars, he lubly face glo’ wid -de beauty ub holiness, he call fuh he hyarp ub uh -thousan’ strings, twank it—an’ lemmy read you what -he sing:</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>“De Lawd is meh shepherd; I shall not want. He -meck me ter lie down in green pastures; he leadeth -me ’side de still waters. He resto’eth meh soul; he -leadeth me in parfs ub richtousnes fuh his name sake -(mus’ ask Uncle Reubin who he name fuh). Yea, -tho’ I wa’k thoo de valley ub de shadder ub death, I -will feah no evil, fuh thou art wid me; thy rod an’ -thy staff dey comfort me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den he chuned his hyarp ergin; he wep’ an’ he -weep, an’ he weep an he wep’. Den he meddowtate -an’ bimeby he say: “O, my son Ab-so-lum, my son, -my son, Ab-so-lum!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin Viney: “Befo’ we teck up de c’lection -I wan’ ter say, da will be uh gre’t rebate Thanksgibbin -night in Zion Baptis’ Chuch; subjec’, secon’ -chapta Zacharyhy, 6 vus.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Ho, ho, cum forth an’ flee fum de lan’ ub de north, -saith de Lawd; fuh I hab spred you uh broad ez de -fo’ winds ub heabin saith de Lawd.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“De rebate will be ter ’cide ef’n Ho, ho wan’ uh -Chine er Japne, who wuz he?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span> - <h2 class='c005'>HO, HO.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>There had been a great deal of discussion among -the darkies as to who was “The gret’s rebater, Mars’ -Pinckney’s Damon Danridge, er Mars’ Nickey’s -Rasmus Jasper Jemes,” and a committee was appointed -to select a subject, with the advice and consent -of the negro preachers of Queen Anne, Caroline -and Talbot counties. They were about three weeks -deliberating, and finally a part of the following verse -from Zachariah was selected:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ho, Ho, come forth, and flee from the land of -the North, saith the Lord: for I have spread you -abroad as the four winds of heaven, saith the Lord.” -(Chapter II, verse 6.)</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Damon Danridge for the affirmative.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes for the negative.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon Danridge was the body servant of the Rev. -Wm. Pinckney, once Bishop of Maryland, and was a -splendid servant, neat, orderly, and as a rule very -dignified—“Kase he driv uh preacher.” He heard -most of his marster’s sermons, was a good listener, and -was so devout and worthy that his brilliant and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>learned marster became much attached to him, read -to him, and taught him to read.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His learning made him very top-lofty, and he assumed -an air of great wisdom with all, was credulous -and simple-hearted; the darkies thought him wondrous -wise because they could not understand the big -words he used. He conjured up and cherished the -preaching and sayings of his grand marster, and delighted -in repeating the same. If his marster had -said to him, “Do you see yonder cloud, that’s almost -in shape of a camel,” he would have seen it as did -Polonius.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Rasmus Jasper Jemes had a great local reputation -as a debater; he was a deacon, and when the regular -preacher did not turn up Ras filled the “pull-pit,” and -filled it well; two of his sermons—“His Bref Kinleth -Coals” and “Let Us Meck Brick”—were considered -marvelous by the darkies. Indeed, some of them -thought him inspired (Ras thought he was)—for instance, -in 1833, when the stars fell, all the negroes -on the plantation were terrified; they hid under beds, -in barnlofts, hay and straw stacks; they thought judgment -day had come. Finally Aunt Phillis, John -Poney and Little Billy, more courageous than the rest, -went to see Rasmus. He was frying some bacon and -did not know about the falling stars. He walked -boldly and confidently out of his quarter, but when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>he saw the shower of stars, was soon affrighted, and -dodging about, said, “Look out, Mars Lawd, hits -Rasmus Jasper Jemes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ras could read a little, was far from being dull -and doted on debating. The subject, “Ho, Ho,” had -been discussed far and near, and Rasmus had -“rassled” with it diligently; and now that the time -had come, Zion Church was packed and jammed. -Uncle Reubin Viney, good and just, Sir Oracle among -his “Brers,” was judge.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The servants had all chipped in and gotten Captain -Stitchberry, of the grain schooner Margaret Jane, to -buy the best $15 church-clock in Baltimore. It was -bought just after Parson Demby preached his great -sermon on “Fogitfulness.” Three-fourths of them -could not tell the time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the door-face of the clock was a picture and -written under it, “The Finding of Moses.” It -represented eleven females and a camel. Four of -the figures were very black. One of them, sitting -in the bullrushes and water, held in her lap a large -basket with a top, in which was Moses, and the daughter -of Pharoah was looking wistfully at the prophet, -who was crying lustily, judging from the size of the -tears in the picture. The black figures had in their -ears immense gold-colored earrings, almost big -enough for Moses to crawl through.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_078f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>The picture on the face of the Moses clock.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>Captain Stitchberry had selected wisely, for no -rosary could have been more adored than that clock. -The sun, moon and stars went by it. When it struck -you would suppose a small dinner-gong dwelt within.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin Viney was seated on the platform -when in strode Damon and Rasmus, looking as proud -as peacocks and confident as two victorious gladiators.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They were both well-figured and had fine faces. -Rasmus had on a blue swallowtail coat with brass -buttons, which he had borrowed from Ned Young -and which was given the latter by his marster <i>twenty -years before</i>. It was still new-looking, and rarely -ever worn except on Sundays.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon wore a coat given him by his marster. -It was too big and too long; however, it gave him a -priestly look—was once worn by his “Mars’ Pinckney,” -and of course, fit him. Shortly after they were -seated, had sipped some water and cleared their -throats loud enough for the deaf to hear, the Moses -clock struck eight, whereupon Uncle Reubin arose and -said: “Sistus an’ brudders, I hab bin ’pinted futto -judge an’ ’cide dis rebate, which am, ‘Ef’n Ho, Ho -wan’ uh Chine er Japne, who wuz he?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“De jan’tor will please light de big lard-oil lamp, an’ -ev’y nuss, dairy maid, maid, cook, laundress an’ farmhand, -young an’ ole, is ’quested not ter gib any -’spression ter deah feelin’s ez dis house is sanctifide. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>now hab de honah ter interjuice Brer Deacon Damon -Danridge.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon sipped water complacently, pulled up his -coatsleeves that were too long, and said: “Sistus an’ -brudders, I heahd meh Mars’ Pinckney ub de Piscopalium -Chuch an’ de gret’s preacher on uth, say, ‘De -gret’s books ebber writ wuz de Bible an’ uh book called -Shakespeare,’ which say, ‘Dar’s mo’ things in heaben -an’ yearth, <i>Horace</i>, dan wuz ebber dremp ub in our -phlos’phy’ (phlos’phy means rash-nal), an’ I’s gwine -ter cummenc’ meh speech wid de miration he woun’ -up wid—leas’wise it will sorter clustah ’roun’ meh -arg’ment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Lars wintah arfter meh Mars’ Pinckney got fros’-bit -crossin’ Miles Ribber ferry, an’ wuz kep’ in bed, -ev’y day he used ter read an’ ’splain de Bible ter me, -an’ arfter he drap uh sleep, ter keep meh mind fum -bein’ too sot on erligeon I used ter go down to -Haylan’ Branch an’ set snares. One mawnin’ Little -Billy went to de snares wid me, so in one ub ’em wuz -uh dog fox, kotch by he tail.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Jemes (interrupting): “What Little Billy -an’ fox tails got ter do wid dis rebate?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon Danridge: “Uncle Reubin, dis is de rash-nal -part ub my discose.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin: “Is you layin’ de foundation, -Damon?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>Damon: “Ezactly so; precisely!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Little Billy he say, ‘Strange ter me Noahy -didn’ pizin dem shirks in de yark, an’ strange, gre’t -ez he wuz, he didn’ hab mo’ ’fluence wid de Petracks.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Erboutin’ what?’ sez I.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Well,’ sez Little Billy, ‘why did dey meck de -animals’ tails so curisome? Why did dey gib uh fox -long hyah so uh fly kyant bite he skin, an’ uh long -bushy tail dat ain’ no use ter him?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Kase when de fields is frosty, de houn’s feel -good, an’ his tail git wet—jes’ full ub fros’ an’ dew—den -dar’s sho’ ter be uh kilt fox, an’ den Mars Nickey -will say, <i>not pursidderin’ de wet tail</i>, ‘Da ain’ no red -fox on uth kin git erway fum meh houn’s.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Brudderin, dis is uh gre’t subjec’. Now, teck uh -pig fuh instinct, dat we lubs ter eat; dat ain’ ornry -like uh fox, yet he’s made fuh de flys ter pester! His -leetle curly tail is not much bigger dan uh goose quill, -an’ not mo’n harf ez long; uh tail he kyant switch -when de blue-tail fly dribes him in de ribber.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Well,’ sez I, ’s’posen de fox hab de pigtail; it -would breck up fox huntin’; dey nebber cud ketch -him den! Mo’n dat, de Bible say Sampson went out -an’ kotch 300 foxes an’ tern ’em tail ter tail, an’ lit -deah tails wid uh torch, den sot ’em loose an’ dey run -’mong de cawn an’ craps ub de Flistines an’ buhn ’em -up. Now, s’spose Sampson, sted ub takin’ 300 foxtails, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>tuck 300 pigtails—sot dem uh fire. Da wud -uh bin uh pow’ful lot ub squeelin’, dat’s all!’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“An’ Little Billy say, ‘Jes’ so; jes’ so!’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Uh terrapin’s tail ain’ longer dan yo’ eyelash, -an’ uh mus’rat’s tail almos’ ez long ez <i>Rasmus’ foot</i>; -you skins mus’rats, hangs ’em up by de tail, an’ sells -de skins, but you don’ sell terrapin skins, an’ don’ -hang ’em up—consequencely dat’s de application.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“S’pose de peacock hab de elephant’s tail, an’ de -elephant de peacock tail, <i>now how wud dat look</i>? Er -uh cow had uh roostuh’s tail, an’ uh roostuh uh cow -tail? Da is some free niggahs fum Henracka County, -Furginny, haulin’ deah sain in Miles Ribber, an’ fum -what I kin heah, dey wud soon breck up de breed -ub chickins, ornless de chickins all hens. Jes’ tread -on de roostuh’s tail, dat’s all.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sistus an’ brudders, I no I got yo’ condidence—I -cud <i>swap tails</i> all night, an’ you wud see all de -time de wissum ub de c’rator ergin swappin’. ‘Da -is mo’ things in heaben an’ yearth, Horace, dan is -dremp ub in our phlos’phy.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, dis is de rash-nal part ub meh discose, ter -show dat you kyant change things ’doutin’ makin’ -mustakes. You kyant meck Ho Ho uh Chine any -mo’ dan you kin change de animals’ tails.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dese days people don’ meddowtate ernuff. Ef’n -people wud meddowtate an’ read de Bible like I is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>fuh two weeks on dis subjec’, dey wud hab no doubt -’boutin de thurrybred Japne ped’gree ub Ho Ho. -Hit’s plain ez daybreck, an’ I spressify ergin, you -kyant change it any mo’ dan you kin change de -animals’ tails.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, dis brings us ter de pus-nal part ub meh -discose, an’ ef’n you projic wid dat fambly you kyant -git erway fum de fac’ dat Noahy wuz uh man ub -quare tase, an’ prob’ly had uh harf dozen wibes, which -wuz de fashion in dem days.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Noahy mus’ uh bin uh man ve’y fon’ ub de differn’ -shades ub color; fuh instinct, Ham’s Ma mus’ uh bin -uh cullud pusson, <i>Sham’s</i> uh white pusson an’ <i>Jap</i>heth’s -uh Japne.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I am confluent dat Ho Ho wuz uh Japne, wid -uh strain ub Chine blood, an’ my phlos’phy will -show it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“De Bible tells us plain ez plain kin be, dat Noahy -had three sons—<i>Sham</i>, Ham an’ <i>Jap</i>heth. Sham, -ez befo’ mentioned, wuz uh white pusson; Ham wuz -uh cullud pusson, an’ <i>Jap</i>heth mus’ uh bin uh Japne. -I bleebe ef’n Noahy cud speak, he wud say so, an’ -ef’n you will follow de application, hit will be ez -clare ez de jewdraps on de vines, er de fros’ on de -fodder.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I ain’ bin ridin’ wid Mars Pinckney fuh nuffin.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time the audience was fast getting “Japne,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>and Rasmus anxious. So he said: “Damon, Mars -Pinckney bin heppin’ you wid dis rebate!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, s’pose he is; don’ I ’long ter him an’ he ’long -ter me?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, hit don’ pester me, fuh Mars <i>Arthur</i> holp -<i>me</i>. He ain’ no preacher, but I reckon he kin read -an’ wright ter keep pace wid de bes’ ub preachers.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Meshac wuz de son ub <i>Jap</i>heth. He wuz uh -cunjerrer an’ cud walk on fire, an’ ub cose he got -hit fum he Japne Pa.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“In de fus’ book ub Cronicles, fus’ vus, by ’westigation, -you will fine dat <i>Jap</i>heth wuz de gre’t-gre’t-gre’t -uncle ter Joktan, an’ he had uh son name Jobab (you -see how dey keep up de fambly names), an’ Joktan -wuz kin ter Mibsam (dat’s wha de Chine cross cum in), -an’ Joktan wuz also uh connection ub Ja<i>k</i>an. Well, -put uh “p” wha dat “k” am, an’ you hab Ja<i>p</i>an. Mars -Pinckney say hit’s plain ter his mind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dar’s fusion in de Bible erbout de name, kase in -some places dey call it Akan; an’ dat fusion is kase -dey got uh “k” ’sted ub uh “p” in po’ Jakan’s name. -It’s uh sad thing ter twiss uh man’s name dat way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ez I hab de ’cludin’ re-marks, I will add mo’ ter -de application ef’n Brer Rasmus rassles hyard wid -de subjec’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sistus an’ brudders ub Kyarline, Queen Anne’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>an’ Talbot County: Ef’n Shake—what de res’ -ub he name?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin Viney (with austerity)—“Shakespeare.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, ef’n Shakespeare an’ Horace (I dunno what -Horace he talkin’ erbout, but ef’n he mean Miss -Rodgers’ Horace, I won’ bleebe anything he say), an’ -if dat book an’ Horace is ez ornsortin an’ mixed up -ez de mirations ub Brer Damon Danridge, den I don’ -think much ub de book. Mo’n dat, Rash-nal an’ Pus-nal -got nuffin ter do wid dis rebate, an’, Brer Viney, I -wan’ you ter rule Shakespeare, Horace, Rash-nal an’ -Pus-nal outin’ it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hits ornpropper ter talk erbout dat book ’long side -de Bible. I wouldn’ walk ’cross dis room ter shake -hands wid Shakes-peare, an’ ef’n de truf wuz -knewed, I speck he wuz one ub dem Quakers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Belubbed, ev’ybody kin see fum Deacon Danridge -speech dat he got no confluence in Ho Ho’s breedin’, -ebin got ter bring pig-tails in dis rebate. What dey -got ter do wid uh Japne er Chine?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Damon Danridge—“Ef’n you had read any -phlos’phy you’d no dat Chinese hab pig-tails.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You kyant see th’oo a millstone less’n it got uh hole -in it, but you kin see th’oo uh pain ub glass ef’n da -ain’ no hole in it, an’ it’s clare ez uh pain ub glass -dat Ho Ho wan’ no Chine er Japne. I kyant read -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>an’ spell so ve’y well, ez I nebber <i>’longed ter er dribe -fuh uh Piscopalium preacher</i>, but Little Billy kin -read, an’ he bin readin’ ober an’ ober ter me de Book -ub Cronicles, Rebellation, Jerry-Myehr, Sams, Daniel, -Jona an’ Zacharihy, so I reckon dem books jes’ ez -trufful ez de Book ub Genesis. Now, de Book ub -Daniel say, chapter de fus’, “De chillun ub Juda, -Daniel, Hana-Nia, Mishel an’ Azarihy all had deah -name chang’ by Nebacudnezzer. Daniel’s change ter -Bell-Shazzer, uh ooman’s name; Hana-Nia, uh man -wid uh ooman’s name, ter Shadrack; Mishel ter -Meshac, an’ Azarihy ter Abed<i>negro</i>. ’Cose he mus uh -bin uh dark pusson like Ham””——</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Damon Danridge—“Brer Jemes, kin you -qualify dat lars miration?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sut’ny I kin! Hit’s all in de Book ub Daniel -erboutin de time Daniel saw de han’writin’ on de wall. -Now, ef’n de chillun ub Juda had deah names -changed, why cudn’ Noahy change de animals’ tails -ef’n he felt like it? Brer Danridge, wha’s Rash-nal -now? An’ wha’s yo’ condidence in Ho Ho’s -breedin’?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why dey change de names ub dem chillun is mo’ -dan I kin ondastan; dey wan’ ornry, an’ had dun -nuffin; fac’ is, de king say [reading from the Bible], -‘Dey ten times better dan de musisioners an’ ’stronemers -in de law;’ an’ dey wuz fine players, too. De -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>Bible say, ‘Dey played de cornet, flute, hyarp, an’ -sackbut.’ Dat lars’ instrument is ez much uh myst’ry -ter me ez Ho Ho.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We read in de book ub Daniel dey played <i>all -kinds ub music</i>; mo’n dat, dey wuz all ’ceppin’ Daniel -<i>fireproof</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I kin almos’ see sweet little Ham playin’ wid dem -gre’t musisioners. Kin anybody see Ho Ho? Not ef -he wuz uh Chine er Japne, kase dey wudn’ <i>’low no -sech music ez dat dem days</i>, when de Petracks made -de laws.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, Zacharyhy he only name fo’ pussons—(I’m -readin’ fum de Book ub Zacharyhy)—an’ all de -names ’ceppin’ Ho Ho’s cummenc’ wid de letter “b.” -He lubbed “b” so much, wonder he didn’ name Ho Ho -Bo Bo. I s’pose Brer Damon wud call Bochim, -Bill-hah, Be-Tah, Beth-Sham an’ Belzebub Chine er -Japne. Well, I reckon <i>de lars one</i> wuz Chine. Leab -you alone, Brer Danridge, you’d meck rat-eaters ub -all de saints.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Obid, de pa ub Jesse, is only spoke ub uh few times -in de Bible; how-some-ebber, he wuz uh gran’ man, an’ -he gre’t-gre’t-gre’t-gre’t granpa wuz Ram.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon—“Ras, you mean Sham.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, I don’; I mean Ram! I reckon I bin readin’ -an’ westigatin’ de Bible ez well ez Brer Damon, an’ -I wan’ ter tell him when C’lumbus ’sciver’d Americy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>he ’sciver’d Talbot County befo’ he did Kyarline -County. I s’pose you’d call Obid uh Chine?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ho Ho is only mentioned once in Zacharyhy’s -narration, but think what er gre’t man he wuz, fuh -de vus say, ‘Ho Ho, cum forth an’ flee fum de lan’ -ub de North, saith de Lawd: fuh I hab spread you -abroad (jes see what condidence Zacharyhy had in -him) as de fo’ winds ub de heaben, saith de Lawd.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“In dem days de fo’ winds mus’ uh all blow’d <i>Souf</i>, -kase Zacharyhy tells him ‘Ter flee fum de lan’ ub de -<i>Norf</i>.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“My erpinion is dat Ho Ho wuz de nick name fuh -one ub de Petracks, fuh I once heah Mars Pinckney -say in uh sermon dat Ab’ham, Isaac er Jacob, I fogit -which, dwelt in de Souf country.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Zacharyhy knew how ter spressify hissef. ’Tain’ -no use mentionin’ gre’t people all de time. Damon -nose how ter spressify hissef <i>sometimes</i>, but not ter -night. He wudn’ interjuice Rash-nal, Pus-nal, Horace, -Shakespeare, an’ all sorts ub animals’ tails in dis -rebate, ef’n he wan’t skeetin’ [skating] on thin ice, -an’ fustyfied.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mo’n dat, is da <i>any</i> pusson heah dat s’poses -Zacharyhy, whose Pa wuz uh king, would put all dat -condidence in uh Japne er Chine?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Lars’ but not leas’, Little Billy say he thinks he -read somewha in de Bible dat Ho Ho hab a beard. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>Now, ef’n de Japnes an’ Chinese don’ hab beards dese -days, ’twuz ornpossible dey had beards dem days.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin Viney: “Dis hab bin uh pow’ful -arg’ment, an’ arfter careful meddowtatin’, I ’sposed -ter think Ho Ho uh Japne wid two Chine crosses, but -it’s uh subjec’ ub gre’t consequation; dafo’ I pint -Pawson Phil Demby, Deacon Damon Danridge an’ -Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes arbiters futto such de -Scripturs, an’ ef’n dey fine Ho Ho had heavy whiskus -den I ’cide Ho Ho wan’ no Japne er Chine.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Little Billy: “Pawson Demby, hit woudn’ s’prise -me ef’n hoe-cake wuz <i>Ho Ho</i> cake, name arfter Ho Ho. -John Poney al’ays sez ho ho cake.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tilly Mink: “Dat’s kase he stutters! Let dat -man’s tung ’lone, Billy; you no he tung-tide.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Deacon Rasmus Jasper Jemes (with great ostentation): -“Uncle Reubin, it’s bad ’nuff ter hab Horace, -Rash-nal, Pus-nal an’ Shakespeare in dis rebate, an’ -wussa still ter call Ho Ho uh Japne er Chine, but ter -call de sweet hoe-cake uh Japne er Chine cake, is mo’ -dan I kin ondastan, an’ hit’s scanlous an’ ornichious.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span> - <h2 class='c005'>RASH-NAL AN’ PUS-NAL.</h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c015'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>De summer night hit’s lubly when you wa’kin wid yo’ gal</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ she sweetah dan de honey ub de bee;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ she ’low dat you kyant kiss huh, kase hit ain’ rash-nal,</div> - <div class='line in2'>At de grapevine hangin’ by de holly tree.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>But de summer night gits lublier, when swingin’ ’side dat gal,</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ yo’ ahm a’mos’ destracted ’roun’ huh waise;</div> - <div class='line'>Kase she look inter yo’ face, an’ say, “Ain’ you pus-nal?”</div> - <div class='line in2'>When you go down on huh mouf an’ teck uh tas’e.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Da’s no swing like de grapevine! hit’s sut’ny de bes’,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Kase you hab ter set ornpropper all de time,</div> - <div class='line'>You swing so close togedda dat you kine er mus’ caress,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Fuh you al’ays got dat black gal on yo’ mine.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_090.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_090f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>BLACK CREEK, BELOW THE FALLS.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span> - <h2 class='c005'>DE COMPOSATION UB DE SNIPE.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Little Billy was as black as a tar pot, short of -stature, very bow-legged, cunning as a fox, and smart. -When he drew his bow across a fiddle it made you feel -like dancing, and when there was a dance among the -overseers, Billy played, and called out, “Swing yo’ -partners;” “pigeon wing,” “ladies ter de center,” etc. -He set muskrat traps, fished on Sundays, and often -coon and ’possum hunted Sunday nights. His bow -legs enabled him to climb like a cat, and no tree was -too big for him to <i>negotiate</i> if Truman treed up the -same; and when Billy sang out, “Put him up, True!” -and Truman “chawed de bark an’ wep, an’ ’stressed -hissef,” as Billy would say, you might be sure there -was a coon in the tree.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy was a slave, helped to milk the cows, tote fire -wood, pick the chickens, turkeys and geese, and was -“horngry” all the time. The negroes thought Billy -monstrous wise, but thought Satan would get him. -He was an innocent fabricator, and a harmless rogue.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day whilst husking corn he said he had once -killed twelve eagles at a shot. The darkies remonstrated -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>with him, and said they had never seen more -than two eagles at a time, whereupon Billy said he -had killed ten. They continued to taunt him until he -dropped to three, and then said, “I’ll die befo’ I drap -another eagle!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>One Saturday in March Billy sauntered to the humble -cabin of Jerry and Caesar Butler, brothers and -free negroes, to steal a dozen raw. They lived at the -head of a creek, fished, oystered, and hunted the -marsh for muskrats for a livelihood. Saturday night -the boat came, and he knew they would have several -barrels of oysters for the steamer. The weather was -not very cold and he assumed they were oystering, because -the day before whilst they were out Billy had -slipped over and stolen a cooking ’possum. Arriving -at the cabin, lo! and behold, Caesar and Jerry were -both on deck, the former lamenting and pondering -about his ’possum, the latter skinning a lot of muskrats -he had trapped the night before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Caesar was fond of ’possum, and returning from -oystering hungry and tired, stopped at the country -store, bought a pint of applejack and a fat ’possum, -went home, put his ’possum in the ashes, covered it -with coals, took several swigs of applejack, and went -soundly to sleep—<i>’possum struck</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When Billy appeared the ’possum was nicely -roasted, which Billy ate, piled the bones -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>in Caesar’s lap, greased his hands and face, so -when Caesar awoke he found his hands and cheeks -greasy, and a pile of ’possum bones in his lap. He -licked his hands, and said, “Dat’s ’possum;” felt his -cheeks and said, “Dat’s ’possum sho’,” and when he -saw the pile of bones in his lap, said: “Dat’s ’stonishin’ -applejack, an’ de mos’ ornsatisfactionis’ ’possum -dat ebber I et.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy was very generous and when he had money -would buy oysters, but without money would invite -himself to take, and generally took them, for he was -prodigal. It was nothing unusual for him to go to -the country store and buy two eggs’ worth of molasses, -of which he was very fond.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy had to have an excuse for his midday visit, -so he pondered quite a while inventing one. The -’possum came to mind, and his heart sank into his -boots. Then he thought of the snipe that had pitched -on the marsh the night before, and soon had a yarn -ready; so as the two old brothers sat gazing into the -soothing fire, watching some bacon fry, he sauntered -in, looking <i>meek like</i>, and said he had “come to tell -dem what he heahd de Jack Snipe say on de mash -lars nite, when he wuz mus’rattin’.” Jerry and Caesar -were credulous and superstitious, but questioned Billy’s -hearing the snipe talk. True they thought them -“ve’y ’ceitful and <i>quare</i> birds, but nebber heahd dem -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>talk.” Billy said, “Crows an’ parrots talk, but dey -wan’ anyt’ing ter jack snipe. Ghoses an’ witches -libbed in cow’s hohns! Watah rail tu’ned inter frogs -an’ jack snipe tu’ned into jack-uh-ma-lanterns, which -wuz ’ceitful larf in witches, but after all, hit all ain’ -harf ez strange ez uh little blossom meckin’ uh watermillion.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The brothers were now perplexed and anxious to -hear Billy’s story, and when urged said he “wuz too -horngry to tell ’bout hit, mus’ go home an’ git some -dinner;” whereupon Jerry suggested oysters, which -Billy said he “wuz not ve’y fon’ ub, but dey wud do.” -Then he gave the snipe story, as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wuz mus’rattin’ on de mash lars’ nite. De moon -had jes’ riz, an’ de tide wuz creepin’ in jes’ ez quiet -an’ rash-nal ez uh settin’ hen. De creek an’ de mash -look so lubly, I ’gin ter muse an’ fogot ’bout de -mus’rats, an’ wuz t’inkin’ boutin uh new chune I’s -learnin’ ter play, call, ‘I Sweeps de Kitchen Clean’—when, -sizz! cum uh flite ub dem snipe, an’ dey mos’ -lit on me. I reckon dey wud, but I say, ‘You better -mine yo’sef, snipe!’ Bimeby one ub ’em say ter uh -frog dat wuz chawin’ uh grasshopper not mo’n de -length ub uh fence rail fum me, ‘Lubly nite, Mr. -Frog!’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jerry: “Now, hush! I al’ays sed dem birds wuz -strange—cum ter day an’ gone ter morrow!”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_094f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Partridge Hunting at “Fairlands”—Rob Roy and Rose.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>“Den de snipe say, ‘What sort ub frogs you bin -keepin’ comp’ny wid?’ Uncle Jerry, I got so skeerd -an’ cole I ain’ got warm yit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Caesar: “Po’ Billy! Won’ you hab ub sip -ub applejack?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ef you don’ t’ink I’ll get too het up.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Caesar: “’Cose you won’!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, den, heah’s luck!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sarvis ter you, Billy! Now go on ’bout dat sassy -frog an’ snipe.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, de frog he say, ‘I’s uh white-bellied frog, -I is! I ain’ no kin ter toad frogs. I is uh qual’ty -frog. What kounty you fum, Mr. Snipe?’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry Butler: “Now, Billy, you mean ter -tell me you heahd dat composation?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Little Billy: “’Cose I did! Ain’ you nebber -heahd uh frog talk, Uncle Jerry?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No indeed, chile!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dat’s kase you don’ keep quiet ’nuff. How cum -dey hab sich <i>long tungs</i> ef’n dey kyant talk? Why, -heah’s uh book gib me by Mars John Charles lars’ -Chrismus, writ by (I kyant read de fus’ part ub de -name, but hit en’s wid Sop) [Aesop]. Dat pictur’ is -wha de frogs is askin’ fuh uh king.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry: “De Lawd bless meh soul, what is we -ter speck nex’? Lemme see de pictur’, Billy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>“Well, I struck at dat frog wid meh paddle. He -jes’ wink he eye, grunt, an’ gib me sich uh curisome -look, dat I got so skeered an’ cole I kyant git wa’m; -so I don’ feel peart ’nuff ter tell de res’ ub de story.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry: “Teck sum mo’ applejack, Billy; -but don’ teck much, kase hit’s applejack dat mecks -you <i>ve’y fogitful</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dat lars’ drink mecks me feel nice an’ wa’m! -Well, when de frog say, ‘What kounty you cum fum?’ -de snipe say, ‘Souf Kharlina!’ Den de frog say, -“What meck you set so fur out in de mash? De mud, -grass an’ bresh is fine in heah, an’ jes’ ez wa’m ez uh -tose, an’ plenty ub tussocks, too.’ De jacksnipe say, -‘I nebber sleep er feed ’doutin I kin see all ’roun’ me. -I’s got uh game leg, an’ I will tell you all erbout -mehsef. What yo’ fus’ name, Mr. Frog? Bull! -Dat’s uh lubly name. Meh name is Cap’n Jack Snipe!’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mr. Frog: ‘What sorter spring you hab?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Cap’n Snipe: ‘Not ve’y nice. Grasshoppus an’ -wumms is so sca’ce, an’ ez I befo’ tole you, I got uh -game leg an’ kyant git ’roun’ good. “All moufs -mus’ eat, but all moufs musn’ eat gravel.” Dat’s -chicken an’ tukkey food, I eats wumms, grasshoppus, -an’ sich like.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Well, how boutin de game leg, Cap’n? I ’gin -ter think you ain’ got no game leg.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Deed I is; an’ dat game leg cum fum fallin’ in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>lub. Let me tell you fus’ what meh tase is an’ how -brabe I is. I lub de juicy mash, glade an’ meadow, -an’ I is feared ub nuffin ceppin hawks, owls, guns, -dogs an’ mus’rats. But when I tu’ns inter uh Jack-uh-ma-lantern -I ain’ feared ub nuffin.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry: “Billy, look at me! You sho’ dat -snipe spressify dey tu’n inter Jack-uh-ma-lanterns?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Cross meh hyart an’ bref.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry: “Well, den, I eat no mo’ snipe! Dat -mus’ be de reason I’s bin dreamin’ so bad.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Little Billy: “Talkin’ ’bout dem Jack-uh-ma-lanterns -meck me feel quare. I is trimlin’ like uh -aspine leaf.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Teck ’nubba nip, Billy, an’ try ter ’stain yo’sef -tell you git th’oo dis s’prisin’ narration.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, he say: ‘Meh name Cap’n Jack Snipe, an’ -I cummand uh comp’ny ub snipe, an’ we gwine ter -summer on dis mash wid some cute young lady snipe -fum Souf Kyarlina, dat’s gwine ter mate heah, an’ -ub cose, nes’. De mus’rats don’ meck any mo’ mirations -’bout dis mash den I do. An’ de wumms, an’ de -sweet roots dat grow heah wud ’tract uh snipe fum -any State. I heahd uh woodcock say lars’ summer -dat she had trabel uh good deal, but had nebber seen -sich uh mash ez Wile Goose Mash. I sleeps well out -on de mash kase I am de cap’n ub dis comp’ny ub -snipe, an’ has ter watch out. Dat’s why I ain’ shuck -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>yo’ han’, Mr. Frog; kase I is ve’y sociable, an’ likes -frogs eben ef dey do say when he go co’tin’ he carry -uh swo’d an’ pisel by he side. Hit’s mos’ my co’tin’ -time!’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mr. Frog: ‘When’s dat?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘When de peach an’ cherry trees am bloomin’, -when de bees am suckin’ clober, an’ de patridge say, -“Bob White,” we gits in lub, an’ wants uh mate. It’s -’nuff ter meck you cry, Mr. Frog, but dat’s de time -I got uh game leg. Hit wuz one lubly day early in -May. I wuz sorter dozin’ ’side uh tussock, ebery -now an’ den ketchin’ uh grub wum, when I saw uh -gran’ lookin’ pinter dog, gallopin’ same ez uh race -hoss, cummin’ my way, an’ not fur behin’ him uh -man in gum boots. Sez I ter mehsef, sez I, when -you git erboutin uh hun’erd ya’ds fum me I’ll dart -’way. Jes’ den uh putty young lady snipe fum -Firginny darted fum un’er uh nearby tussock, winked -huh lubly black eyes in de mos’ coaxin’ way, spread -huh tail like uh dear little fan.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Caesar: “Wan’ she uh sassy snipe?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘So I say in de p’lites’ way, “Won’ you tase dis -wum?” In uh moment she stood ’side me an’ say -in words mo’ sweetah dan de mockin’ birds, “I’s got -such miration fuh you I kyant resis’.” A moment -later I heahd dat gunner say, “Careful da!” I ris up. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>Bang! Uh number ten shot wen’ th’oo meh thigh, -an’ dat’s why I got uh game leg.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Jerry Butler: “Billy, I s’pose I mus’ bleebe -yo’ story, kase I heah ’em read down ter de sto’ lars’ -nite, dat uh hen lay uh gole egg, which is wussa yit. -How-some-eber, I sut’ny wud lub ter ketch one ub -dem breed ub chickens uh roosin’ ’roun’ heah.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span> - <h2 class='c005'>NANCY YOUNG.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>In Pleasant Valley, at the head of Fausley Creek, -there were several quarters, in one of which lived -Nancy Young, not a stone’s throw from the quarter -of Aunt Cassey. Nancy helped in milking the cows, -churning, making butter, and at harvest time helped -the cooks, but Mammy Nancy, as the darkies called -her, was virtually her own mistress, and was never required -to do hard work; in short, she was the plantation -doctress, and it was seldom that any little darkies -came into the world without Mammy Nancy’s assisting -their advent. The negroes thought her inspired, -and when they had ailments Nancy made them a -decoction that went to the spot; in brief, she was well -acquainted with the use of herbs. She had faithfully -nursed Mrs. Isaac Atkinson, a Quakeress and neighbor, -who imparted to her many of her secret remedies; -some of these would have enlightened a modern doctor. -For example, she had a remedy for what she -called “cowbuncle,” which was almost a specific for -carbuncle. Nancy especially doted on making catnip -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>tea, and when she held in her faithful arms a cantankerous -baby, and crooned and gave it catnip tea, -“De chile wan’ pestered no mo.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>She was motherly, sympathetic and a born nurse, -and not only attended the servants, but nursed the -ladies of the neighborhood. She was extremely pious, -and if she had not been, I do not know what would -have become of Little Billy; she was his wife.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Nancy was full of determination and spirit, and -when Billy came in early in the morning from ’possum -hunting without a ’possum, she always suspected -he had been to Major Rudd’s store, and took the -strong hand with him that he took with his steers, -and would not let him have his banjo and pipe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The earliest watermelons grew in her garden, and -she had spring chicken weeks before her neighbors. -Billy was not allowed even to go into the garden, for -she was afraid he might disturb her herb patch. It did -not disturb Billy, however, who preferred his corncob -pipe and banjo. Nancy was very fond of music, -and once she said to me: “Billy ain’ got no erligion, -but he do play de banjo same ez uh cherrypin” [cherubim].</p> - -<p class='c010'>Some gypsies struck their tents on the main road -about a mile from Nancy’s home, and one night a man -rode up, inquired for Mammy Nancy, and said his -wife was sick. She was soon with the gypsy, who was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>ailing some two weeks, and when Nancy returned she -was not only a doctress, but a firm believer in witchcraft, -and could tell your fortune by looking at your -hand.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Nancy was making some bone-set and snake-root -tea—Billy had the shakes, so she said—when Billy -broke the silence by asking, “Nancy, what’s de matter -wid dem hens?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Billy, you know uh mink skerd de hens week ’fo’ -lars’, an’ ’sturbed deah mem’ry fuh layin’. I ain’ -got but eight eggs ter-day an’ none yistiddy, so dese -all we got fuh suppah.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is you got de spider hot? Well, den, cut orf -eight slices ub bacon an’ den we will hab uh slice ub -bacon fuh each egg. Heah’s some kinlin’ wood I -picked up in Mars Pinckney’s woodpile, an’ by de -time de bacon is fryin’ good—dat is, de grease bilin’—speck -me back wid fo’ catfish I kotch in de net lars’ -nite, which will keep us fum gittin’ horngry befo’ suppah -time. I’m gwine ter de rebate ter-night.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Billy, ez I ondastan’ hit da ain’ much use gwine. -Uncle Reubin, Pawson Demby an’ Damon Danridge -is on de side futto ’sterminate de witches, an’ dat -fusty niggah, Jerry Jones, is fuh lettin’ de witches -lib. Now I don’ kuh any mo’ fuh him dan I do fuh -uh shirk! Tell me, lars’ nite at Mage Rudd’s sto’ -he spressify hissef dat he wuz so well ’quainted wid -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>de witches in Haylan’ Branch dat dey al’ays bow ter -him when dey meet him; an’ he say he of’n hab composation -wid ’em, an’ dat dey hab de gre’tes’ condidence -in him; an’ Mage Rudd say he has heahd de -witches mo’n once praisin’ him. He’s got uh bran’ -new fiddle an’ bo’ dat cos’ $9, which he made fum -coon hides in one monf. De fac’ is, strange ez hit may -seem, dey won’ let nobody hunt in Haylan’ Branch -ceppin Jerry. Mo’n dat, dey tell me he said he wan’ -feared ub de sponsibility ub rebatin’ by hissef; dat -de witches sass him sometimes, but fuh de mos’ part -dey kine and lubly.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, Nancy, Jerry nebba spressify dat de witches -lubly.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas he did! Mo’n dat, Ceaser an’ Jerry Butler -heah him, an’ dey so pestered ’boutin dem witches -’stead ub walkin’ fum deah house thoo Pleasant Walley -ter wha dey keep deah boat on de ribba, not mo’n -uh quarter ub uh mile fum deah house, dey walks -two miles ’roun’ de walley, dey so feared dem witches -ride an’ whup ’em. Hit wudn’ s’prise me ef’n de -debbil wuz ter transplant Jerry same ez de Lawd -transplanted Eunuch. Why, he’s ebin ’cused de -Petracks ub lubbin’ an’ keepin’ comp’ny wid witches. -Hit’s scan’lus! Damon Danridge say dat he heah -Jerry Jones say dat Samuel de fus’ use ter let witches -roos’ all erroun’ his house, an’ dat hit’s true dat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>Moses fell out wid uh witch an’ say, <a id='r10' /><a href='#f10' class='c012'><sup>[10]</sup></a>”Thou shall not -suffah uh witch ter lib,” an’ he mout uh kilt ’em all, -but jes’ den Mars Noahy an’ his cullud son Ham driv -up wid uh bag an’ say, “Saul, I’m bleeged ter hab uh -par ub witches fuh meh boat,” an’ Jerry ’low dat de -sponsibility resses wid Mars Noahy, de father ub dat -lubly boy Ham.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Stephen, what is de rebate ezactly? I dunno -what you gwine fuh! I hab uh gre’t mine ter meck -you stay home an’ hab nuffin ter do wid witches. -How kin you go ter de rebate when da is three hens -hatchin’, an’ minks imperdent? Da is only one -thing I want you ter go fuh, an’ I bin layin’ out futto -tell you.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yistiddy mawnin’ I wuz crossin’ de road gwine ter -de thicket wha dat speckled hen name “Yaller Legs” -is hatchin’—in de pile ub jack-oak brush close ter de -spring—when, lo an’ beholst! dat free niggah Jim -Brooks cum erlong. He wuz dribin’ in his kyart uh -po’ leetle harf-starbed steer, an’ I wuz jes’ thinkin’ -ter mehsef, Is dat kyart movin’ er no, so slow wuz he -gwine. De truf is de leetle steer wan’ much bigger -dan one ub Mars Pinckney’s wethers. Tho’ I nebba -been interjuced ter dat Jim Brooks (me dat waits on -de qual’ty), jes’ ez I cross de road dat free niggah say -ter his steer, ‘Step up, Pete, step up; an’ look out, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>stranger, dat you don’ git run ober!’ Now, I cornsider -dat de wus’ sort ub impotence, an’ I wan’ you -ter tell him so ef’n he is at Zion ter-night. I’m not -gwine ter stan’ hit. Ef’n he had uh par ub fars-trottin’ -steers like Uncle Simon’s, hit wud be bad ’nuff, -but ter be ’sulted by dat sort ub miration is scan’lus.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Nancy, stay home an’ let me go ter de rebate; -dem chickens’ hatchin’ is pow’ful waluble. I -gib Mage Rudd five levys fuh thutty ub dem eggs, -an’ he say dat breed ub chickens cum fum Henrico -County, Firginny, an’ once lay uh gole egg; so ub -cose dey wuf watchin’ day an’ nite. Mo’n dat, I am -one ub de arbiters, an’ I won’ let dat imperdent free -niggah Jim Brooks dat ’sulted you cum in Zion, ef’n -hit breck up de rebate. I holp ter meck de brick fuh -dat chuch, an’ I sut’ny got some sponsibility in de -matter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Billy, when you spressify yo’sef dat way, -ez de moon is so young, an’ hit so dark, I will stay -home.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Their conversation was interrupted by a gentle -knock at the door, which Nancy opened and exclaimed, -“Bless meh soul an’ body, an’ body an’ soul, -ef’n hit ain’ young Mistis! Why, honey, howdy; -an’ wha you bin?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mammy Nancy, one of Father’s ewes died in -February and left a dear little lamb. I took it to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>house, fed it from a bottle, and it became like Mary’s -little lamb—everywhere that I went the lamb was sure -to go. Early this morning I started out to get the -first spring flowers. After I had walked about a mile -I heard Snow Flake bleating, and looking back saw -her gambolling after me. When I passed the fold a -hundred or more of beautiful leaping lambs romped -around her, and soon my sweet Snow Flake seemed to -forget me and skipped and played with the other -lambs. I felt that I would be a wolf to take that -lamb from the flock; and yet, Mammy Nancy, I love -that little lamb so much. And, oh! how I have -watched and tended it! Finally I walked to your -spring, sat down and cried, and then I felt thirsty; -and when I looked for the gourd that hangs on the -nail in the pine tree it was gone. So I have come for -the gourd.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dat’s Billy’s carlesomeness; dar’s de gourd, honey, -in de watah bucket. Miss Marg’retta, you looks ez -sweet ez dem flowers dat’s reposin’ on yo’ bres’. I -bin heahin’ erbout you. Dey tell me de bows jes’ -cum in drobes futto see you. De fac’ is, you is mo’ -beau’ful an’ beau’ful ev’y day. Dey tells me dat de -young marsters cum fum Balt’mo’ ter see you; how-some-eber, -I heah dat Mars John Charles Dickinson, -fum Queens Anne’s County, is yo’ favorite. He! -He! He! Dat’s what Miss Osman say. Got uh new -ring on yo’ fingah, too; but Ole Mars ain’ gwine ter -let you merry anybody ceppin uh Pres’dent er sompin’ -like dat. Chile, lemmy tell yo’ fortune?”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_106f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p><span class='right'>Courtesy Knaffl Bros., Knoxville, Tenn.</span><br /><br />You gwine ter merry uh king an’ hab thutteen chillun!</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>“All right, Mammy Nancy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Do you wan’ uh long fortune er uh short fortune?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, a short one to-day and to-morrow I will -come and get the long one.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mistis, I will teck yo’ lef’ han’ ter-day. How -does you keep yo’ han’s so white an’ dimpled? Dar’s -many uh one ub dem young men dat fox hunts wid -Ole Mars dat wud gib deah hyarts ter hole dis han’; -deed dey wud. One, two, three, fo’ five, six, sebin, -eight, nine, ten, ’lebin, twelbe, thutteen. Yo’ gwine -ter merry uh king an’ hab thutteen chillun. Billy, -go out an’ see how dem hens is hatchin’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>When Billy was sent out Margaretta thought it was -going to be a long fortune, so she switched the conversation -off and said, “Has Billy got religion? We -haven’t heard of his being at Major Rudd’s store of -late, fiddling and banjo playing.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Nancy said, “Billy goes ter Mr. Dawson’s sto’ now, -uh mile fudder up de rode, futto sell his eggs, mus’rat -hides an’ coon hides. You see Mage Rudd fell out -wid Billy, an’ ’twuz all uh accident. It wuz dis way: -Fus’ place Mage Rudd sol’ Billy some eggs dat cos’ -2 cents uh piece. He say dat de breed ub chickens -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>dat dey cum fum once laid uh gole egg. Well, -Billy’s eggs all hatched ducks. Billy wuz furisome, -an’ wen’ right ’way ter Mage Rudd’s sto’, but he got -sich uh way ub twissin’ his tongue dat he twiss out ub -it by sayin’ dat somebody swap eggs wid Billy. Cose -den I molested him boutin dem duck eggs, an’ he say, -‘Nancy, I hab got uh ve’y fine new lantern fuh sale, -an’ I wan’ ter sell you one.’ Sez I, ‘Why; I’s got -uh good lantern.’ ‘Well,’ sez he, ‘Billy’s so black -you wan’ uh fus’-class lantern ter stick outin de winder -in de mawnin’ ter see ef’n day is broke!’ Now, -qual’ty people wud nebba talk dat way, an’ dat’s what -made Billy skeer dem frogs ub Mage Rudd’s.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, what did Billy do?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Mage Rudd had uh empty mullasses barrel -in front ub de sto’, an’ de flies wuz swa’min’ erroun’ -hit same ez uh swa’m ub bees, an’ Mage Rudd’s toad-frogs -wuz almos’ ez thick ez de flies, an’ dey wuz -ketchin’ de flies same ez de debbil ketches sinnahs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, ’twuz erboutin sundown when Billy cum -erlong an’ seed dem flies an’ frogs. So he got uh -piece ub ole rope, hide hissef ’hine de barrel, an’ den -he twiss dat rope thoo de grass ezactly like uh snake. -De frogs dat wan’ full ub flies an’ cud jump went all -ober dat sto’, in de butter, mullasses, sugar, brakin’ -eggs, lamp chimneys, nockin’ down bottles, an’ wussa -still, dey jumped ’roun’ Mage Rudd’s ole maiden sistuh’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>feets an’ ankles, tell she tuck up huh dress like -she gwine wadin’. Mars Pinckney say she mussa -tho’t de frogs wuz <i>garter</i> snakes. But de mos’ -’stressin’ part ub all wuz de frogs dat wuz full ub -flies an’ cudn’ hop; dey los’ deah mines—bellerd -an’ wep’, wep’ an’ bellered wuss dan uh pon’ full ub -horngry calves. Uh big frog pon’ wuz nuffin ter hit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mage Rudd ’low he didn’ keer fuh de flies, er de -things dat wuz ’stroyed in de sto’, but he did keer -<i>fuh dem frogs</i>; dat he wuz uh widderer, wid no -chillun, an’ summer ebenin’s dem frogs ’mused him; -an’ lars, but not leas’, dat he wuz keepin’ dat rope -<i>fuh Billy</i>, an’ when he kotch him he wud meck him -jump leap frog.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy fully intended going to the debate, but on his -way he met a lot of coon hunters, forgot the debate -and returned to his quarter about daylight, when he -explained matters to Mammy Nancy. She said, “You -shan’t hab yo’ pipe fuh uh monf.” Whereupon -Billy, to melt Mammy Nancy, tuned his banjo, -twanged it and sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Didn’ my Lawd d’liver Daniel?</div> - <div class='line in2'>D’liver Daniel, d’liver Daniel.</div> - <div class='line'>Didn’ my Lawd d’liver Daniel?</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ why not ev’y man.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“He d’liver’d Daniel fum de lions’ den,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Jo-nah fum de belly ub de whale,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ de He-boo chillun fum de fiery furnace,</div> - <div class='line in2'>An’ why not ev’y man.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>“De win’ blows Eas’ an’ de win’ blow Wes’;</div> - <div class='line in2'>It blows like de judgment day,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ ev’y po’ soul dat nebba did pray</div> - <div class='line in2'>Will be glad ter pray dat day.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>When Billy had finished singing Nancy said, “I -reckon you kin hab yo’ pipe, Billy, ef’n you promise -ter jine de chuch.” And Billy promised “ter jine.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>MARS PINCKNEY’S ’SIMMONS</h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c015'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>De chickens all hab gone ter roos’, de milkin’s almos’ ober;</div> - <div class='line'>I heah de hooppo-will’s loud song, de rabbits in de clober,</div> - <div class='line'>De ’possum gittin’ out ub bed, de coon he ’gin ter wake,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ one, er bof, in Haylan’ Branch, I specks ter obertake.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Da ain’ no moon, de stars is brite, de ’simmons ripe an’ sweet—</div> - <div class='line'>De ve’y night fuh Traveler ter sent uh varment’s feet;</div> - <div class='line'>Befo’ de roostus crow hit’s day, an’ ’fo’ de Bob White stir,</div> - <div class='line'>I no I’ll heah de lubly tongue ub meh dog Traveler.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Jes’ ez I harked him in de branch, an’ wa’k ’long de parf,</div> - <div class='line'>I seed de bushes moobin’, an’ I heahd uh leetle larf;</div> - <div class='line'>’Twuz den de dog cum ter de tree an’ made uh monstus fuss,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ what wuz in dat ’simmon tree wuz wuss dan scanalous.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>At fus’ I tho’t hit wuz uh owl, but coon dogs don’ tree owls,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ Traveler wuz too skeer’d ter bark, ’twuz jes’ uh stream ub howls;</div> - <div class='line'>So den I look up in de tree, an’ settin’ ’pon uh lim’,</div> - <div class='line'>Wuz uh cunnin’ leetle niggah, sorter hummin’ ub uh hymn.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I saw ’twuz leetle Ezzy feedin’ on dem ’simmons ripe—</div> - <div class='line'>De night befo’ he’d tole “De composation ub de snipe;”</div> - <div class='line'>He al’ays spressify hissef in sech uh cutesome way</div> - <div class='line'>Dat ev’ybody lubbed him, an’ bleebe what Billy say.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>So I didn’ wan’ ter ’stress him, but meck bleebe I did,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ said, “Fum Caesar’s quarters hencefof you is fuhbid;”</div> - <div class='line'>An’ den dat leetle roscal say he didn’ cuh fuh me,</div> - <div class='line'>“Dese is Mars Pinckney’s ’simmons, an’ Mars Pinckney’s ’simmon tree.”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I tole him ef’n I had uh ax I’d cut de fruit tree down,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ ef he fell an’ breck he neck when he struck on de groun’</div> - <div class='line'>Hit wouldn’ ’stress me any, kase you t’ink yo’sef so wise,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ you de sort ub niggah dat de Babtis’ chuch dispise.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span> - <h2 class='c005'>“DEM DAYS.”</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>“Is this Uncle Stephen Demby?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas, honey; dat’s meh name! I jes’ got -in fum crabbin’. Lemmy put meh paddles -un’er de house ter keep dese carelessom’ gre’t-gran’chillun -ub mine fum fin’in’ ’em. Dem -two gals, Marfy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de watah -sorf crabbin’ is meh gran’chillun. An’ jes’ look -at dem two boys er ridin’ dat cow ub Mars -Pinckney’s; dem is meh gre’t-gran’chillun, an’ dey -monstus bad. (Ef’n you don’ git of’n dat cow I’ll -whup you till da ain’ no bref in you!) Dar’s three -ub dem boys, an’ dey name Stephen, Saul an’ Bonypart, -an’ like ez not de one name Bonypart is ridin’ -dat cow’s calf. Deah gre’t-gran’mammy gibs ’em -too much cawn bred, an’ hit natchelly puts noshuns -in deah haids.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Do you live here?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas’um; but de road don’ go no fudder. You’r -sho’ly on de rong road, chile; dat’s de road ter de -Royal Oak, an’ de road you on is wha dey bin haulin’ -oyster shells, ter fix de road you lef’.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_112f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Dem two gals, Marthy an’ Muhtilda, out da in de watah sorf crabbin’ is meh gran’chillun.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>“Uncle Stephen, I know exactly where I am, and -I have come to see you, and want you to tell me all -about Talbot County before the war, so that I can put -it in my magazine.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, bless meh soul an’ body, an’ meh body an’ -soul. Heh! heh! heh! Jes’ speckin’, I reckon, futto -see Mars Pinckney ’roun’ heah; I’m sho’ he bin -meckin’ ’mirations at yer. Uh foxhoun’ don’ lub -uh fox hunt mo’ dan de ladies ’roun’ heah lub Mars -Pinckney, an’ I heah Mars John Charles Tilghman -say ter ole Mars Nickey, ‘He is ez hainsome ez de -son ub King Dabid-Ab-so-lum, dat got kilt by uh -mule.’ Mules wuz ornry in dem days. Now, how -you gwine ter put Talbot County in yo’ mag’zine? -You jes’ tezin’ po’ ole Stephen. You see I’s al’ays -libbed wid de qual’ty, an’ ain’ easy ter fool. Now, -you sho’ly ain’ got uh mag’zine?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Indeed I have, dear Uncle Stephen.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, what we gwine ter cum ter. Ef’n meh -dear ole Missis had ebin seed one ub huh chillun -ridin’ on one ub dem one-wheel t’ings she’d uh tuck -an’ spanked huh an’ kep’ huh in bed fuh two weeks; -but ter t’ink ub uh lubly young mistis like you is, -habin’ uh mag-zine—chile, I is libbed too long. It’s -mos’ ez bad ez ghoses an’ witches.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Uncle Stephen, don’t you think I could manage -a magazine and put the nicest sort of stories in it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>“Well, den, what good it gwine ter do you? I wish -de one dat ’sploded at Petersbu’g had nuffin in it but -stories. Why, honey, it blowed up an’ kilt fo’ thousan’ -mules, an’ I dunno how many millions ub solders, -an’ de good Lawd only nose how many plantations. -Is you got uh pa? Well, chile, you will twiss -yo’ po’ pa’s feelin’s sum ub dese days ornless you stop -playin’ wid mag-zines.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, Uncle Stephen, you are too old to have -been a soldier in the civil war.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Indeed I wuz, honey, an’ I wuz skeer’d stiff! You -see dey tuck me ter Easton, gib me toddy, ’fused me, -an’ ’swaded me ter go. I’s got uh pension, fuh I -drobed uh fo’-hoss mule team fuh six monfs. I didn’ -keah fuh de wah; fac’ is, I kep’ ’way fum de battlefields. -I wud uh bin uh exerter, but wuz fear’d ter -ezert! So I jes’ had ter pine fuh ole mars, ole miss, -an’ Sookey. Sookey’s meh wife, an’ she al’ays wid ’em. -She use ter look fuh ole mars’ specks, an’ keep de -flies of’n ole miss.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Uncle Stephen, my magazine is a kind of book -that comes out every month and has pretty stories in -it, and they tell me that you can tell a pretty story.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Heh! heh! heh! mistis, I al’ays know’d I wuz uh -qual’ty niggah.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_114f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Deah gre’t gran’ mammy gibs ’em too much cawn-bred, an’ hit natchelly puts noshuns in deah haids.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>“So I have brought you a nice bundle of tea, tobacco, -and a new straw hat, for I want you to tell me -all about yourself and something about Talbot County -before the war.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, I s’pose dey name books arfter mag’zines, -kase dey big soun’in’ t’ings? I’s pow’ful bleeged ter -you fuh de tea, ’baccy an’ de hat. I’ll hab ter teck -dis sweet blue ban’ of’n de hat, kase it will skeer de -fish an’ keep ’em fum bitin’. You mus’ be fum de -Souf?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, I am from the North.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, you mus’ uh had uh mammy fum de Souf, -den.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Maybe, Uncle Stephen. And now tell me something -about the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Talbot -County, before the war.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, hunny, I cum outin’ uh fambly dat lib wha -you see dem tall elm, hoss chestnut an’ big oak trees. -De place name Otwell. I wuz bo’n da—and so wuz -meh fava an’ his fava. Meh fava’s name wuz Phil -Demby, an’ Pawson Demby, de ’stinguis’ Babtis -preecher, is meh brudder, an’ name arfter meh fava. -None of my fambly wuz free niggahs, er ’longed ter -po’ white trash. My muvva she named Phillis. Dey -called huh Arnt Phillis; an’ she libbed at Otwell, an’ -wuz Mars Nickey’s favorite cook. All de niggahs on -dat plantation slep’ wid sheets on deah beds. Mars -Nickey didn’ hab, an’ he wouldn’ hab no common -niggahs. When de oberseers cum ter de po’ch ter git -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>deah orders, dey al’ays stood wid deah haids unkivvered, -rain er no rain; dey know’d deah place. An’ -Chrismus Ole Mars gib all de serbents toddy, but ef’n -dey get tipsy, he whup ’em sho’! Meh muvva, Phillis, -wuz de fus’ cook at Otwell. Chile, she wuz uh -cook! but one ub de slow-paced sort. Nowdays dey -cook uh ham in fo’ hours; dem days it tuck meh -muvva two days, an’ dem wuz Mars Nickey’s orders.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How-some-eber ev’yt’ing wuz slow in dem days. -Dey use ter teck uh gre’t big silver tank dat hilt -boutin uh gallon, er mebby two gallons, an’ fill it wid -mint julip, an’ it had two gre’t big han’les jes’ like -ram’s hohns on de sides. An’ Saul an’ Damon—dey -wuz de house serbents—dey meck de julips (I -use ter holp when dey ve’y busy, an’ tase de julip -an’ see ef’n it sweet nuff), an’ when de gemmen cum -in fum fox hun’in’, Saul an’ Damon wud pars ’roun’ -de tank; an’ <i>you kyant tell how slow dey wud drink -fum dat tank</i>. An’ when dinner time cum it tuck -’em boutin fo’ hours, sometimes mo’n fo’, an’ sometimes -all nite futto eat dinner. Dey riz bees, an’ -dey meck peach brandy, an’ dey drink what you -call peach an’ honey. How cum dey don’ drink -peach an’ honey dese days? Why, de ve’y bref ub -it mecks you feel nice.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fo’ de wah all de hom’ny wuz bet in uh gre’t -big morter; de hom’ny dey mecks nowdays is nuffin -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>ter hit. All de wheat wuz cut wid uh cradle, an’ -when dey all in uh row swingin’ deah cradles, sayin’ -nuffin an’ lookin’ so full ub condidence, it remin’ you -ub de fus’ ub de flood tide in de creek—mus’ go on. -Uncle Reuben al’ays tuck de haid row. Swing he -cradle same ez Sampson. Steambo’ts cum once uh -week dem days, an’ dey tuck all day ter cum, an’ dey -stay all nite, an’ go ’way nex’ mawnin’. Now dey -cum in fo’ hours, an’ fo’ er five uh day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“People ebin dance slower dem days; use ter dance -de min-e yet. Mars Tilghman co’tin’ Mis Henrietta, -an’ he bow ter huh same ez uh tall poplar when de -win’ blow hyard; an’ ez fuh Miss Henrietta, she jes’ ez -graceful ez uh putty kitten, an’ stylish ez uh unbroken -thurrybred colt. Ef’n de flo’ had uh bin -kivverd wid de hunard-leaf roses, an’ she wuz uh -dancin’, she wudn’ mash one. Many uh time, thoo -de wintah, I’b seed ’em dance. I’d bin de haid waitah -at ‘Otwell’ ef’n I hadn’ bin so waluble futto breck de -steers an’ colts. Ole Mars’ he had de gre’tes’ confluence -in meh ’rasity, an’ I wuz al’ays ’roun’ de -kitchen, kase, ez I befo’ tole you, meh Muvva Phillis -de haid cook. Mam Juby, she de secon’ cook, and -’sis’ mammy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, hunny, ebin de peaches an’ watahmillions -wuz bigger dem deys, kase dey didn’ grow up so fars; -dey tuck deah time; an’ ez fuh oysters an’ fish, why -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>dem days you cud walk out in dat cobe not fudder -dan yo’ nees, an’ git all de oysters you wan’, an’ set -rite at dat stake an’ pull in de fish tell you go -’stracted, an’ de wile ducks quackin’ all ’roun’ you. -Dat’s de stake Leetle Billy wuz uh fishin’ at when de -shirk pull him ove’bode. Leetle Billy wuz uh ornry -niggah, al’ays playin’ de fiddle, mus’rattin’, tellin’ -ghose stories, fishinin’ on Sunday, an’ dancin’. Mo’n -dat, he nebber ’longed ter de chuch, an’ it wan’ no -use ter talk ter him. How-some-eber, ev’ybody liked -Billy; al’ays peart, al’ays hab ’baccy in he pocket, an’ -gib lib’ly. Billy wuz uh qua’ chap; he wan’ lazy, but -he didn’ lub hyard wuck. Well, he tied he bote at -<i>dat ve’y stake</i>, an’ jes’ fuh fun, befo’ de tide tu’n -an’ de fish bite, he put uh gre’t big sorf crab on he -hook, flung de bait out, tied de line ’roun’ he leg, -tuck his fiddle out an’ ’mence ter play jigs an’ sich -like. Bimeby he wen’ uh sleep, an’ uh shirk cum -’long an’ tuck dat bait, pulled po’ Billy ove’bode, an’ -Billy wen’ uh skeetin’, bobbin’ up an’ down like uh -passel ub ’scovey ducks bavin’ deah sef, an’ prayin’ -fas’ ez he cud git de watah fum he mouf. Billy say -he wuz jes’ prayin’ dat de fiddle wudn’ git los’, but -Cap’n Stitchberry sez he nebba heahd uh moanah -pray mo’ pow’ful. Mo’n dat, ef’n Cap’n Stitchberry -hadn’ cum ’long in he pungy wid uh load ub oyster -shells, an’ kotch Billy when he wuz fai’ly sailin’ ’long, -de shirk wud hab ’stroyed Billy. Mars Innis Randolph -says, ‘Dey kyant tell whedder de niggah wuz -uh fishinin’ er de fish wuz uh niggerin’.’ Dat’s de -way people gits talked boutin dat fishes on Sunday.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_118f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>I’d bin de haid waitah at “Otwell” ef’n I hadn’ bin so waluble futto breck de steers an’ colts. Ole Mars had de gret’s confluence in meh ’rasity.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>“Dem days dear ole Mars Nickey had seben sons, -an’ dey all wen’ Souf in de wah; all got kilt ’ceppin’ -Mars Pinckney, name arfter uh Bishop, an’ he wuz -de wiles’ an’ de gayes’, an’ he didn’ git uh scratch. -Dem chillun gittin’ kilt, wid <i>me</i> leabin’ Ole Mars, -meck him seck an’ breck his hyart. (’Skuse dese teahs, -young mistis!) So he died! Meh pappy Demby use -ter ’long ter Mars Nickey’s fava, an’ dribe de fo’-in-han’ -an’ rid’ ’hine in de saddle when Mars Nickey -drobe in de gig. Bof ub ’em wuz name Nickey, an’ -he wuz de fif’ Nickey dat wuz bo’n at Otwell. I heah -Leetle Billy say dat he heah Mars Tilghman say dat -he heah Mr. Stevens say—de man dat use ter run -Mars Nickey’s win’ mill—dat de fus’ Mars Nickey -cum ober de bay wid uh man name Klumbus, an’ -dey ’scover Talbot Kounty. Dat wuz in de time ub -de Petracks. [Patriarchs.]</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dem days dey had what you call gigs. ’Cose you -nebber saw one ub dem ole-time gigs. Well, you -almos’ had ter git up in ’em wid uh leetle ladder, -dey so tall an’ stylish. Dey wuz fuh two hosses tandy, -one in de shaf’, de udder in de lead. Dat’s de way -dey wen’ co’tin’, an’ dey wo’ silk stockin’s, an’ no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>pants, ’ceppin’ ter deah knees. Pappy say ev’ything -wuz slow in dem days, ’ceppin’ de race hosses, foxhoun’s, -an’ de young; an’ de ole marsters, dey luck -so peart an’ ’squisit’ in deah silk coats an’ socks, silk -all ober, dat de young ladies cudn’ resis’ ’em. Dem -days som’times dey had three er four wibes. One -mistis hardly hab de hunnysuccle growin’ ober huh -grabe ’fo’ dey git annurr wife. I had five wibes mehsef. -Heh! Heh! Heh!</p> - -<p class='c010'>“When Pawson Demby, meh brudder, got ’ligion, -den I got ’ligion. ’Fo’ dat I use ter ride race hosses, -an’ me an’ Mrs. Rodgers’ Ned, an’ Mars Nickey’s -Big Billy (you see dey had two Billys, an’ dey use -ter call one Big Billy an’ de udder Leetle Billy) use -ter play de fiddle, an’ two waitahs fum Myrtle Grobe, -Hesakiah Sprouts an’ John Poney, use ter play de -flute an’ banjo, an’, hunny, people use ter cum fum -Kyarline an’ Qweens Anne’s County futto heah us -play, ‘Wha You Gwine, Sistah Sue?’ ‘Rosin de Bow,’ -‘Debbil ’mong de Tailors,’ ‘Yaller Cow,’ an’ sich like.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_120f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>SCIPIO JONAS JONES AND NIMROD.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>“Meh deah chile, I cud tell you heap mo’ ’boutin -dem days; but when I look ober da—Ole Mars’ gone, -all de hoss ches’nut, elms an’ poplars (dey call dem -Lombardy poplars) dead—de apple an’ de peach archard -’stroyed wid age, de cobe wha dey use ter -swim de hosses so shaller dat uh kildee kin wa’k ’cross, -an’ wussa yit, de man what wuz wonce uh oberseer -libbin’ in de ole house, how you ’speck I feel? An’ -much ez I lub de ole place, I’s ’fear’d ter go da; fuh -dey tell me Leetle Billy plays de fiddle an’ dances in -de yard sometimes, an’ he bin dead six monfs nex’ -harves’. Ef’n I hadn’ preserbation in meh hyart, an’ -’long ter de chuch, I’d be ’fear’d ter lib heah. Do you -’long ter de chuch? Ef’n you don’ git salbation rite -’way, den yo’ mag’zine will bloom jes’ like de blossoms -on dem crabapple trees, an’ you will long fuh -de chuch jes’ ez much ez uh hen longs fuh huh los’ -chickens. Ef’n I hadn’ jine de chuch I, tu, mout -be uh ghose like po’ Billy—he died fum eatin’ tu -much watahmillion he stole—an’ I mout uh bin wid -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ef’n Ole Mars wuz libbin’ dem crabapple trees -wud hab uh new fence ’roun’ dem. Das wha’ he -burried Cicero, he favorite p’inter dog. Hunny, I -will nebber fogit dat name; I recommember it jes’ -ez well ez I recommember yistiddy. All de niggahs -in de mansion call him Cis, an’ it meck Ole Mars -’stracted. He stan’ us all, young an’ ole, leetle an’ -big, Aunt Phillis, tu, all in uh line, befo’ de po’ch, -an’ he say: ‘Dem me, ef’n I don’ sell you all ter -Georgy ef’n you don’ stop callin’ dat dog Cis. He’s -uh gre’t dog, an’ name arfter uh gre’t man; I won’ -hab it. I will wuck de plantation wid free niggahs -’fo’ I hab it.’ An’ he tell de leetle niggahs dey -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>kyant play ’roun’ de po’ch fuh uh monf ef’n dey don’ -learn ter call dat dog Cicero. Den he meck us all -say arfter him, C-i-c-e-r-o, C-i-c-e-r-o, C-i-c-e-r-o—Cicero!</p> - -<p class='c010'>“When he wuz uh young dog, boutin two year ole, -Ole Mars cum fum partridge shootin’ one day, an’ all -de dogs jump out de wagon at de po’ch ’ceppin’ Cicero; -he wuz almos’ tu tired an’ sleepy ter mobe. But -when Mammy Phillis call him he got hongry rite -’way; jump out an’ struck he haid ’gin de iron -scraper dey teck de mud of’n deah boots wid, an’ kill -hissef. Hongry an’ thusty ez Ole Mars wuz, he wep’! -An’ he say, ‘I wan’ you an’ Reubin ter dig uh grabe -un’er dem crabapple trees, an’ in de mawnin’ we will -burry him.’ An’ so de nex’ mawnin’ Uncle Reubin -an’ I wuz stan’in’ by de grabe meddowtatin’, an’ heah -wuz me, heah wuz Uncle Reubin, an’ heah wuz Cis. -Pres’ny Marster cum an’ put Cis in de grabe, an’ I -thowd uh spade full ub uth on Cis; an’ Uncle Reubin -riz up his haid, an’ he say, ‘Mars Nickey, ain’ you -gwine ter say nuffin?’ An’ Mars Nickey he luck -like his hyart wud breck, an’ he say ‘Nuffin, Reubin!’ -Den Uncle Reubin thowd in uh spade full ub uth, -lean on he shovel an’ sorter whispuh like, ‘Den I will -say he wuz uh good <i>ole</i> dog!’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Marster’s favorite dogs wuz houn’s; he lub ’em so he -nebber low you ter call uh houn’ uh dog. An’ he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>had seben hosses dat done nuffin but hunt ober dem -dogs; an’ dey <i>wuz</i> hosses, fuh it tuck uh hoss ub -qual’ty ter kerry him; he wuz uh pow’ful man. Fus’ -you read de Bible, hunny, boutin de time King Dabid -wuz all dress up in his new nuniform an’ whup de -Flistins, an’ den teck uh look at Ole Mars’ pictur, you -sho’ly wud think King Dabid favo’d Ole Mars, he so -hainsome; an’ Mars Pinckney de ve’y spit ub him! -When Mars Nickey git on he hun’in’ close he glitter -jes’ same ez uh star! Yaller wes’ (yaller wuz he favorite -color), no pants ’ceppin’ ter de nees, an’ dey -yaller; an’ green welwet cote—bless meh soul an’ -body, an’ meh body an’ soul, he look jes’ like King -Solomon mus’ uh look when he wen’ struttin’ arfter -annurr wife. An’ when he blow he hohn an’ you -heah de houn’s moanin’ an’ Jedge Kyarmichael’s, -Mars Lloyd’s, Kun’l Winders, an’ Mars Tilghman’s an’ -all de qual’ty dogs cummin’ troo de cawn fields almos’ -nockin’ down de cawn, an’ all ub ’em carryin’ uh -chune, chile you’d almos’ wish yo’sef uh houn’! -Yas, indeed, hunny, dem wuz days futto recommember. -An’ sich hosses Ole Mars had; dey jes’ jump -an’ hunt. Da ain’ no hosses dese days like de hosses -dem days. Fuh instinct, like Don Won, Black Nite, -Jew-drap, Junius, Fanny Esler, an’ Sky Lark. Jes’ -cum in meh quarter an’ I’ll show de pictur ub dem -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>hosses. I done lef’ ’em ter Mars Pinckney when I -die; you see, I wan’ ter keep ’em in de fambly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mars Nickey had he quare ways, tu, jes’ like udder -people. Fuh instinct, he wud nebber lite he -cigah fum uh match, al’ays fum uh cole uh fire, stuck -on uh fork; an’ I lub ter tote de fork ter him—sho’ -futto gimmy uh levy. When he shabe he nebber -look at uh glass; jes’ wa’k all ’roun’ de room meddowtatin’ -an’ shabin’, an’ shabin’ an’ meddowtatin’, -kase he wo’ no whiskus, an’ ’spise uh beard. One -time I nebber will fogit; Mars Jimmy cum fum -Woodstock, had his fiddle in de kerridge an’ wuz full -ub peartness. He wuz dribin’ Robbin an’ Red Bird -tandy togedda—jes’ cum futto see he pa—an’ tho’t -he wuz ve’y fine wid uh mustache on he lip. Ole -Mars wuz in uh fine umuh, wid uh barsket full ub -mushrooms on he ahms, but when he see dat mustache -on Mars Jimmy, he say, cussin: “You kyant -lite tell you cut dat hyah orf.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I recommember one thing mo’ I fogot. Ef you -wants ter git uh good view ub de ribber, an’ be tu fur -fum de house ter heah Billy’s fiddle, jes’ teck dat parf, -an’ hit’s uh nice leetle wa’k ter dat grobe ub cedar trees, -an’ when you gits da you will see what’ll s’prise you. -Ole Marster lubbed ev’yt’ing dat wuz good—an’ da’s -wha he burried he good an’ favorite foxhoun’s. I -kyant read, but I nose ev’y name on dem <i>houn’s toomstone -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>poses</i>. He nebber done anyt’ing ’dout hit -rashnal, an’ he sho’d dat ’sponsibility when he name -he foxhoun’s. Lite-foot wuz uh booful houn’; neck -almos’ ez long ez uh goose’s, an’ sich long, sorf ears, -gre’t big brown eyes, an’ sech uh signifyin’ ’spression -’bout he haid, dat when he los’ de sent, an’ bay an’ -look at de sky, hit made yer raal sad. He wuz so -swif’ an’ nimble dat he skeercely tech de uth, an’ -hardly bresh de jewdraps fum de clober.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Chimes had uh tongue dat wuz ez sweet ez uh -<i>martingale’s</i>, same ez uh bell. Jefferson wuz uh gran’ -feller, white all ober, ’ceppin’ uh yaller spot on he -lef’ side, not much bigger dan uh new moon. He wuz -ve’y stylis’ an’ clean, ’pear’d like he wuz -dressup all de time. He wuz ez brabe ez Mars -Pinckney, an’ ez gentle ez uh lam’—’ceppin’ uh <i>black</i> -dog cum ’long; den da wuz trubble. Mars Nickey -didn’ like nuffin <i>black</i> hissef, ’ceppin’ de niggahs, so -he ’cided ter hab no mo’ black houn’s er black sheep -on de plantation, all fuh de lub ub <i>Jefferson</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But Ole Mars had one houn’ he lub mos’; he wan’ -so pow’ful fas’, but he wuz al’ays true. Ef de sent -wuz cole, er ef’n it wuz uh los’ sent, you’d heah ’em -say, ‘Wait tell Jerry cum ’long, he will pick it up;’ -an’ de young an’ de ole houn’s had condidence in -him, an’ ’spected him. His name wuz Jerry-Myah, -an’ Ole Mars say he gib him dat name kase Jerry-Myah -wuz uh profit.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span> - <h2 class='c005'>DAT CHRISMUS CAKE.</h2> -</div> -<div class='lg-container-b c015'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Scipio Jones say dey gwine ter hab uh cake walk</div> - <div class='line'>An’ uh hus’in’ Mars John’s cawn—it wuz ev’ybody’s talk,</div> - <div class='line'>So dey ’pinted uh cummittee ter ’quire ’bout de cake</div> - <div class='line'>Ter be raal sho’ dat Scipio wuz makin’ no mustake.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>He al’ays foun’ out ev’yt’ing, an’ yet he wuz no good,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ ef’n he tried ter tell de truf, wuz nebber ondastood;</div> - <div class='line'>Fuh de ghoses an’ de witches he lubbed ter talk erbout</div> - <div class='line'>Wuz al’ays in de cow’s hohns when udder people out.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>De cummittee went uh ’quirin’ an’ dey foun’ dat Sistuh Chew</div> - <div class='line'>Had tole de plum-cake secret ter only one er two;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ Scipio he lis’en while she milk de cows an’ say</div> - <div class='line'>Dat Mistis gwine ter meck uh cake dat’s walked fuh Chrismus Day.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>So Mistis mixed de Chrismus cake an’ fill it full ub plums,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ Scipio look in de stobe an’ stuck in it his thum’s.</div> - <div class='line'>De heat wuz so ornple’sant an’ bu’n dat roscal so</div> - <div class='line'>He scream an’ cry, “Aunt Phillis cool de thum’s ub Scipio.”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>When Mistis saw de Chrismus cake an’ heahd ’bout dem thum’s</div> - <div class='line'>She say, “Dat niggah Scipio shan’t ebin hab de crum’s;”</div> - <div class='line'>An’ when dat walk wuz ober you cud see rite on he face—</div> - <div class='line'>Don’ stick yo’ thum’s in plum cake an’ git yo’sef disgrace.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Da ain’ no use ub talkin’; it’s al’ays out ub place</div> - <div class='line'>Ter stick yo’ thum’s in anyt’ing ter ebin git uh tase—</div> - <div class='line'>Ornless you bin inwited, an’ den it’s al’ays bes’</div> - <div class='line'>Ter wait an’ hab cool fingahs an’ eat wid all de res’.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span> - <h2 class='c005'>WHEN SAUL RUN ERWAY.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Miss Marg’retta wuz ve’y fon’ ub Saul, an’ when -he run erway hit ’stress huh pow’ful. Uh showman -cum ’long wid uh circus an’ ’swaded po’ Saul ter go. -Miss Marg’retta teach him ter read an’ rite, kase -da wuz recommembrances clustah’d ’roun’ Saul’s -mammy dat made Miss Marg’retta fon’ ub de chile. -Lars’ week I had uh lettah fum de po’ boy, rote fum -Balt’mo’. Mars Pinckney red hit fuh me, an’ hit -say dat when de circus got ter Balt’mo’ de showman -sot him ter wuck feedin’ de snakes. Saul’s letter -spressify dat he lef’ dat circus in uh run! Saul al’ays -wuz smart. He! He! He! Ef’n he had fed dem -snakes, he mite bin ’flicted like Uncle Snake-bit Jim.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Arfter uh few days Saul say he got de place ub -waitah on uh tugboat; uh nice place, but de lettah say -he wuz so sad an’ lonesom’ he wuz mos’ dead. (’Skuse -meh cryin’, Muhtilda.) He say he misses de ribber -so—de cluckin’ hens, crowin’ roostus, de calbes -moanin’ fuh deah ma’s, de sweet little skippin’ lam’s -an’ de singin’ birds—but he say he mos’ miss Mars -Nickey’s houn’s, an’ dat he will nebber refuse ter -hunt fuh hens’ nesses fuh he aunty ef’n he kin git -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>home, but he sho’ Ole Mars won’ let his foot tech -Woodstock.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fus’ I tho’t ub gwine ter Ole Mistis, but she so -sad I ’cided not ter trubble huh. Muhtilda, she will -nebber git ober de deaf ub Mars Francis. Ev’y day -befo’ he died she teck uh barsket on huh ahm, pahr -cissers in huh han’, an’ go ter de gyarden befo’ de -jewdraps of’n de flowers, an’ wid dem cissers she wud -cut wiolets, heal’trope, ’benas, sweet-lizziums, roses -an’ udder sweet flowers, tell de barsket full. Den -Mistis wud meck ’em in bokays, an’ meck me ty ’em -wid lamp wick. You see hit’s sorf, an’ don’ squench -de flowers. Dem days I had ter put one ub de bokays -in ev’y room, but dese days she don’ hab no bokays; -jes’ puts all dem flowers ev’y mawnin’ on Mars -Francis’ grabe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Whenebber I tho’t ub po’ Saul meh hyart got sick; -’pears ter me ’twuz sick all de time. So I wa’k up an’ -down de gyarden prayin’ sorf ter mehsef, thinkin’ an’ -thinkin’, so I ’cluded ter see Ole Mars, an’ bine meh -haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars -erboutin Saul. He wuz gwine fox huntin’, wuz settin’ -in de hall, Damon wuz puttin’ on he spuhs, when I -wa’k in, made uh curchysy an’ cummenc’ ter cry an’ -limp. Ole Mars lif’ up he hainsome face an’ say:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Sookey, what’s de matter?”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_128f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>So I bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars boutin Saul.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>I say, “I heahd fum Saul; it meck me so ’stressed -an’ po’ly, Marster. He say he so rejected an’ lonesom’, -dat his hyart mos’ breck. He wan’ ter cum -home.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den Marster cuss an’ say: “Wha de scan’lus -scoun’l at?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>An’ I say wid meh hankcheah ter meh eyes, -“Balt’mo’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den Ole Marster say: “Sookey, Saul’s muvva -Nancy (yo’ sistah) wuz uh splendid ’ooman; nuss’d -yo’ Miss Marg’retta when she had de scarlet fevah. -Saul wuz uh baby, an’ she mos’ fogot Saul, she wuz -so faithful ter yo’ Miss Marg’retta.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den I say: “’Zac’ly so, precisely, Marster!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den he say: “Nancy kotch de fevah an’ died; -yo’ Miss Marg’retta wuz so ’stracted she mos’ ’dopted -dat chile—tech him ter read an’ rite.” Den Mars -Nickey cuss ergin an’ say: “Eddication mecks niggahs -bad!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den I say: “So hit do, Marster, so hit do; fuh hit -sut’ny meck Saul bad. Fuh he wuz riz so careful. -Miss Marg’retta ebin bo’t him uh nanny-goat fuh uh -wet nuss, an’ dey got so fon’ one nerr dat when Saul -wud tottle outin de quartah de goat wud ’mejately -nanny, twinkle huh little tail jes’ like uh aspine leaf, -run up ter de chile, an’ he wud set un’er dat goat, -nuss huh hissef, an’ pat he han’s on de goat’s sides. -It mecks me think ub yo’ son Mars Francis what died. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>I nuss him tell he so big he hab teef. When he wuz -horngry he wud run up ter me same ez uh little lam’, -pat meh bresses when he nussin’, same ez Saul did -de goat’s sides, an’ sometimes when he feel sassy—mos’ -got ernuff (jes’ playin’ wid de milk)—he wud -bite me. An’ many uh time I had ter smack him -hyard; an’ den his brite eyes, brite ez uh fish-hawk’s, -but big an’ sorf, wud fill up wid teahs. Den he wud -git in meh lap, pat meh ole face an’ say, ‘Mammy! -Mammy!’ play wid an’ put he fingah froo meh earring, -jes’ ez gentle an’ lubbin ez uh cherrypin er -serrypin. My! he little fingah jes’ ez smoobe ez de -inside ub uh oyster shell. Den I sing, ‘Git on bode, -little chillun.’ Den he go ter sleep, an’ he bref on -meh cheek jes’ ez sorf ez de down on uh goslin’.” Den -I say, “Mars Nickey, he wuz de ve’y spit ub you!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den Mars Nickey teck out his silk hankcheah, wipe -he weepin’ eye, trem’lin mouf, an’ he say, “Sookey, -teck uh seat!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jes’ think ub meh settin’ down befo’ Ole Mars! -Den he teck uh pinch ub snuff, th’ow some on de -flounces ub he shut, call Damon an’ say, “Bring me -some peach an’ honey!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den he say: “I will ’struct Cap’n Stitchberry, de -fus’ time de Margaret Jane sails fuh Balt’mo’, futto -bring Saul home, but he kyant lib heah wid meh good -an’ faithful serbents; he got ter lib at ‘Fausley,’ drap -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>cawn, plough—be wuf sompin’. Kyant hab any mo’ -boots. Tho’ Nancy wuz his mother, got ter weah -shoes; I only gib de bes’ serbents boots!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Muhtilda, I jes’ natchelly swep’ de flo’ wid meh -curchysys, I feel so thankful. An’ when I lef’ I say: -“Meh Marster, yo’ mo’ an’ mo’ like Mars Francis -ev’y day; same brite eyes, like uh fish-hawk’s, but sorf -an’ big!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den Ole Mars teck nubba pinch ub snuff, dust he -shut flounces wid it, cut hissef on de leg wid he ridin’ -whup an’ say: “Sookey, I change meh mine; when -Saul cum back he kin wuck in de gyardin wid yo’ -husban’, Stephen.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>When I wen’ out de do’ da wuz Cap’n Stitchberry -stan’in’ befo’ de steps wid he haid orncover’d waitin’ -fuh his orders fum Mars Nickey; Stephen wuz holdin’ -Sylph, Marster’s favorite mare; Music, Jerry-Myah, -Sweet-lips, Jefferson, Chimes, an’ all de res’ ub de -houn’s (Ole Mars wudn’ let you call ’em dogs) wuz -playin’ erroun’ Stephen, chunin’ up, an’ Sylph wuz -almos’ crazy fuh Ole Mars ter git in de saddle—she -jes’ scorn de yearth when she gallopin’ an’ cud almos’ -jump ober de moon. Well, I felt ez prowd an’ happy -ez Sylph an’ de houn’s did, kase, Muhtilda, ev’ything -look’d lubly ter me. So I meck up meh mind I ain’ -gwine ter scold Stephen any mo’—he did look so -peart, holdin’ Sylph wid uh yaller wes’ Ole Marster -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>jes’ gib him. But what meck me mos’ happy, I heahd -de wabes moanin’, I luck at de ribber, an’ da wuz -de Margaret Jane wid huh sails sot, jes’ prancin’. I -knew’d what dat signify—so hit won’ be long befo’ -Saul cum back.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Saul sing songs, play de hohn dat Little Billy gib -him, wid locks an’ keys, dances, too. How-some-eber, -hit’s jes’ what de qual’ty do; but da ain’ nuffin -wichious erboutin Saul, an’ I sut’ny has miss him -pow’ful. Da ain’ uh houn’ on dis place dat ain’ look -sad sence Saul lef’. When dey cum home wid deah -sore feet, ears an’ legs all scratch up, full ub briars, -Saul, ’doutin Ole Mars habin’ ter tell him ev’y day, -biles uh pot ub squaw-root, baves dem houn’s feet an’ -legs, an’ you kin see dem settin’ ’roun’ waitin’ fuh -deah turn.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Heah cum Ole Miss now; look at dem chickins an’ -de cows all lookin’ at huh—ub cose meckin’ mirations -ter deahsebs erbout huh. Dat lady behin’ wid uh -barsket on huh ahm an’ all dem keys on huh ap’on -strings, is Miss Betsey Orsman, de housekeeper. Dey -bin ter kivver all dat grabe ub Mars Francis wid flowers—’ceppin’ -de toomstone. De vusses on hit ev’y -serbent in dis house has larnt. Think ub dat!</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Kyant you say ’em, Aunt Sookey?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas, indeed, chile, dat I kin; but I will arsk Miss -Betsey arfter Ole Miss gits by. Honey, she’s uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>’citer; she jes’ gibs huhsef up ter glory when she -speechifyin’. I will ax huh kase she likes ter say it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Miss Betsey, will you say dem vusses what’s on -Mars Francis’ toomstone?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, certainly, Sookey; now listen good:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in12'>“The seasons as they fly,</div> - <div class='line'>Snatch from us in their course, year after year</div> - <div class='line in2'>Some sweet connection, some endearing tie.</div> - <div class='line'>The parent, ever honored, ever dear,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Claims from the filial breast the pious sigh;</div> - <div class='line'>A brother’s urn demands the filial tear,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And gentle sorrows gush from friendship’s eye.</div> - <div class='line'>To-day we frolic in the rosy bloom</div> - <div class='line'>Of jocund youth—to-morrow knells us to the tomb.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Miss Betsy is an ole maid, Muhtilda. De reason -she’s wa’kin’ fum us so slow is kase she’s meddowtatin’. -Dey tell me dat one time Cap’n Stitchberry -wuz in lub wid huh, but he gib huh up kase she tu -fon’ ub vusses; an’ he tell Mars Pinckney dat she -lubbed him tu much. She’s ve’y fon’ ub Mars Pinckney, -an’ don’ mine his teasin’, so de udder day he tole -huh—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Da nebber wuz uh goose so gray but soon er late</div> - <div class='line'>Wud fine some wan’rin’ gander fuh uh mate.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, wan’ dat sassy?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Saul wuz pow’ful fon’ ub cracklin’-pone wid mullasses, -an’ I gwine dis minit futto meck uh pone fuh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>dat po’ boy. I’s bin watchin’ de ribber all de -mawnin’. It wudn’ s’prise me ef’n de Margaret Jane -cum in de ribber befo’ de sun sot; so don’ you go -home, Muhtilda. Den I will sen’ fuh Little Billy -futto tell us some stories; Susan fum Mars Carroll’s -is cummin ober—ub cose Ezra Viney will keep comp’ny -wid huh; an’ lars’, but not leas’, Stephen got -three dozen sorf crabs, six watahmillions an’ two ole -hens I kilt yistiddy dat had stopped layin’. So we -will hab uh happy time eben ef’n Saul don’ cum ter -night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dar’s Billy now, talkin’ ter Juba Viney; got his -banjo hung ’roun’ his neck. Dem’s mus’rat hides he’s -got tied ’roun’ his wais’; gwine ter Mage Rudd’s sto’, -I ’specks. O—h, Billy; we are ’speckin’ Saul dis -eb’nin’. Kyant you cum ober, sing us some songs -an’ play us some chunes arfter Stephen goes ter set -his net? He rejects ter you bein’ so pus-nal wid de -witches;<a id='r11' /><a href='#f11' class='c012'><sup>[11]</sup></a> ain’ fogib you yit fuh gittin’ up’n dat -’simmon tree an’ sassin’ Uncle Caesar Butler.”<a id='r12' /><a href='#f12' class='c012'><sup>[12]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy knew Aunt Sookey would have something -good for supper, and knew that she doted on Saul, so -he soon turned up at her quarters, and quickly asked -for Uncle Stephen, whom he knew would not welcome -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>“Da he is, jes’ paddlin’ his boat fum de sho;” -responded Aunt Sookey. “Gwine ter set his net.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy smelt the frying crabs, and asked in apparent -ignorance: “Is you had supper, Aunt Sookey?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No indeed, honey; de lard jes’ cummenc’ ter bile.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, den, I will sing uh new chune I jes’ larnt, -while de table gittin’ sot:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“On Tom-big-bee ribber so fair I wuz bawn,</div> - <div class='line'>In uh hut made ub leabes ub de tall yaller cawn;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ dar I fus’ met wid meh Ju-la so true,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ I row’d huh erbout in meh gum-tree canoe,</div> - <div class='line'>Singin’ row away row, o’er de watahs so blue,</div> - <div class='line'>Like uh feather we’ll float, in meh gum-tree canoe.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Wid meh hands on de banjo an’ toe on de oar,</div> - <div class='line'>I sing ter de soun’ ub de ribber’s sorf roar;</div> - <div class='line'>While de stars dey look down at meh Ju-la so true,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ dance in huh eye in meh gum-tree canoe.</div> - <div class='line'>Singin’ row away row, o’er de watahs so blue,</div> - <div class='line'>Like uh feather we’ll float, in my gum-tree canoe.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Billy, dat’s lubly; kyant you sing jes’ one mo’ song -befo’ I puts de butter on dese sorf crabs?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes’m!”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Sometimes I libs on de fat ub de lan;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Sometimes I libs on de lean;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ when I gits meh day’s wuck done</div> - <div class='line in2'>I sweeps de kitchen clean.</div> - <div class='line'>Den heah meh true lub weep,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Heah meh true lub sigh,</div> - <div class='line'>Way down in Callio</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dis niggah’s bawn ter die.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>“I kyant sing an nerr vus, Aunt Sookey, kase I -so horngry, an’ I kyant stay tu long kase I ain’ sot -meh mus’rat gums yit, an’ I bleege ter go ter de sto’ -futto sell dese hides. Mo’n dat, Mars Pinckney gwine -fox hun’in’ de fus’ thing in de mawnin’ long befo’ -de sun up.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy ate heartily, and the <i>jamboree</i> was broken up -by the incoming of Uncle Stephen. Billy, to be very -polite to Uncle Stephen, whom he knew did not like -him, said: “Uncle Stephen, I jes’ watch you all <i>day</i> -long yistiddy ketchin’ oysters; you sut’ny kin ketch -oysters.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Stephen leaned wearily on his paddle and -said: “Y-a-s, Billy! Ef’n I wuz uh chicken you wud -watch me all <i>night</i>!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Billy soon departed, and when he was well into the -darkness, twanged his banjo and sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I ain’ no tukkey buzzard,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I ain’ no saint;</div> - <div class='line'>I ain’ no tukkey buzzard,</div> - <div class='line in2'>So glad I aint.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_136f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>BLACK CREEK FALLS.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span> - <h2 class='c005'>“LET US MECK BRICK.”</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Sistus, brudders an’ chillun: Pawson Demby wuz -’specially ’quested futto prech at de gre’t bushmeetin’ -gwine on in Bolingbrook Neck, an’ dey sent up uh -<i>fo’-hoss-mule team</i> an’ kyart fuh him lars’ night. He -’quested me futto say ter de congation dat he wanted -yo’ pray’rs fuh de gre’t cause he gwine ter prech -erbout, an’ he also qualify me ter say his tex’ will be -fum de book ub Deutron’my, 22d chaptah, 10th vus: -“Thou shalt not plough wid uh ox an’ uh ass togedda.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Some free niggahs ’long de Choptank dat cum fum -Henraccah County, Firginny, is ploughin’ wid uh -mule an’ uh ox, an’ hit’s stressin’ de Babtis’ ’roun’ de -ribba pow’ful, kase hit’s sech uh wiolation ub de -Scripturs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>De witches in Haylan’ Branch is keepin’ uh good -many sistus fum cummin’ ter de chuch Sunday nights. -De c’lections consequationly is so small I is ’fraid we -kyant git de kyarpet fuh de pulpit by Chrismus; but -ev’y little bit helps, ef’n hit’s only uh rabbit’s foot, -kase dey will sell at de festival fuh 6 cents uh dozen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ez I ain’ had uh ve’y long notice, meh discose dis -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>ebinin’ will be breef. You will fine meh tex’ in de -book ub Gen’sis, 11th chaptah, thud vus:</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“LET US MECK BRICK.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Den, ergin, de fif’ chaptah ub Exodus, all ub de -sebinth vus: “Ye shall no mo’ gib de people straw -ter meck brick, ez heahtofo’; let dem go an’ gavva -straw fuh demsebs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>You all recommember dat Mars Nickey say lars’ -New Year Day dat ef’n his serbents, young an’ ole, -’habe demsebs well fuh uh hole yeah he gwine ter -build ’em uh little brick chuch. Well, de serbents -is bin monstus good fuh uh hole yeah, ’skusin’ Little -Billy, an’ he so curisome Marster don’ mine him. -’Sides, he muvva Nancy nuss Mars Pinckney. So -arfter de cawn wuz hus’in’ Mars Nickey tole me an’ -Reubin ter go ter de clay bank an’ meck boutin fifty -thousan’ bricks, an’ dey wud be uh plenty ter build -uh chuch dat wud hab uh real top-lofty pulpit, uh -moaners’ corner, an’ hole boutin two hun’erd -serbents. Mars John Chamberlain, Mars Tench -Tilghman, Mars Samuel Dickinson holp ter buy de -shingles an’ furnachy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Wuckin’ dat clay (an’ Moses wud hab praised dat -clay), meckin’ an’ haulin’ dem bricks ter dat lubly -cedar grove, made me think ub dis tex’ night an’ -day, an’ I is wanted fuh uh yeah ter preach on dis -gre’t subjec’.</p> - -<p class='c010'>I see some dear sistus heah fum Queen Anne’s. I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>s’pose you cum ober ter de bushmeetin’ in Oxford -Neck, so I wan’ you ter ondastan what uh ’squisite -spot Cedar Grove is fuh uh brick chuch, befo’ I git -fudda wid meh spressifications boutin bricks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sistus, da is uh little creek called Peach Blossom. -De fus’ peach seed dat cum ter Amer’ca wuz fotch -ober an’ planted ’long Peach Blossom Creek, Mars -Pinckney say, erbout de time Klumbus ’skivered -Amer’ca; dat’s why hit’s called Peach Blossom. De -same man fotch ober some apple seed, an’ de apples -wuz named arfter him, Catlin apples.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Peach Blossom is erboutin uh harf mile long an’ -uh hun’erd ya’ds wide, an’ empties inter Fausley -Creek. De watah is fum five ter eight feet deep, de -bottom ez clean ez de deck ub Cap’n Stitchberry’s -schooner, de Margaret Jane, sandy, an’ ez hyard ez -uh mule’s haid, but you kyant see de bottom ’ceppin -heah an’ heah, kase da’s wha Mars Nickey got he -oysters bedded, an’ da’s wha Uncle Stephen sets Mars -Nickey’s net, ketches de spot, hogfish an’ pan rock -dat cums in dat creek ter feed ober de oysters, an’ den -ter meddowtate. Mos’ at de haid ub de creek is uh -proud-lookin’ grove ub cedars; ’mong dem cedars is -<i>twenty cedar toomstone poses</i>, wha Ole Mars burried -he good an’’ favorite houn’s, an’ da’s wha de new -Zion Chuch gwine ter be swottuated.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Belubbed, da nebber wuz uh mo’ ’chantin’ creek! -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>On hits banks grows lubly trees, fum de sas’fras an’ -dogwood ter de gre’t elms, walnut an’ poplar trees. -Sistuh Cassey, befo’ she died had uh cabin at de haid -ub de creek; de honeysuckle an’ wile rose seeds -strayed fum huh house all ’long de banks ub dat -creek, an’ now de honeysuckle an’ wile roses blooms -an’ clustus ’roun’ one nerr day an’ night—hit’s uh -heb’nly spot. Hit don’ matter how de win’ blow, ef’n -you paddle yo’ skiff in Peach Blossom Creek hit’s so -cam, quiet an’ shady you kin heah de little jinny -wrens, sparrows an’ crickets singin’. De watah looks -so smove an’ happy when de tide go out an’ when -de tide cum in, dat it al’ays mecks me think ub Ole -Miss’ face; fac’ is, you jes’ wanter set down an’ muse, -an’ you won’er why all erligeons ain’ de Babtis in -Talbot County, ter wash deah sins erway in Peach -Blossom. But I mus’ tu’n ter de application.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Little Billy wucked two days dribin’ uh ox team, -den ub cose he got tired. Mammy Nancy ’quested me -ter arsk you all ter pray fuh him arfter de doxol’gy; -he is ve’y bad. Ef’n Mars Nickey knew’d what he -say he’d whup him sho’; kase he say Mars Nickey -wud hab built dat chuch, good er bad niggahs; dat -he tole him all dat he wanted him ter do wuz ter -see ezactly wha de bricks wuz drapped, an’ ter be -sho’ none ub dem bricks wuz drapped ergin dem -<i>houn’ cedar pos’ toomstones</i>. Billy fudda spressify -dat he bleebe de chuch wuz gwine ter be uh kind -ub monumen’ ter he good an’ faithful houn’s an’ good -an’ faithful serbents.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_140f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Ole Miss, when sweet sixteen, going to dance the minuet.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>Meh brudderin, I hab now laid de foundation. So -I wan’ you fus’ ter persidder de pictur on de face ub -dat lubly clock; befo’ she strike ergin I am gwine ter -tell you who de fus’ brickmakers wuz, an’ how dey -cum ter meck bricks.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Way down in Egyp’ lan’ long time befo’ Klumbus -’skivvered Talbot County, da wuz uh king named -Fario. He wuz uh gre’t man, an’ you kin ’magin’ -what style he lib in fum de fac’ he had six hun’erd -wibes, two chariots fuh each wife, an’ dey nebber -is bin able ter fine out ezactly how many hosses, mules, -jackasses, steers, cows, sheep, goats an’ serbents he -had; an’ he had so much ter meck him peart dat he -got ter be uh ve’y wile man. Well, dis king had -uh lubly daughter, de apple ub he mouf an’ de ve’y -spit ub de king. She had uh nice ’scluded little ribba -(I specks it wuz mos’ ez putty ez Fausley Creek) futto -bave in; she likewise had fo’ er five hun’erd han’maids, -an’ all longed ter de qual’ty. De Bible call ’em -damsels. I think hit’s uh good name fuh maids dese -days, ’skusin’, ub cose, free niggahs. Well, de narration -say dat Miss Fario wen’ down ter de ribba wid -huh damsels futto bave. Dey wuz orndressin’ huh, -ten maids wuz teckin’ de rings of’n huh ten fingahs, -two mo’ maids wuz teckin’ huh earrings out, an’ uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>nubba teckin’ de <i>earrings</i> outin huh nose. (All de -qual’ty wo’ rings in deah noses dem days.) Jes’ ez -she erboutin orndress—you see dey didn’ ware no -bavin’ suits in de time ub de Petracks, an’ bad ez de -men wuz dey didn’ bave wid de ladies; so da wuz -sut’ny no mails ’roun’, ’ceppin’ uh monstus fine baby -boy three monfs ole, dat wuz kivverd up wid bullrushes, -an’ ’rapped in flags (I s’pose de flags wuz some -ole sorf battle-flags)—well, jes’ ez de king’s daughter -put huh little feets in de watah ter see ef’n it tu cole, -she heah uh chile cry. She jumped back relarmed, -an’ say ter huh maids, “What’s dat?” Den she look -in de bullrushes, an’ lo an’ beholst, da wuz uh cutesome -lookin’ cradle wid flags ’roun’ hit (Is’lite flags, -I s’pose), an’ uh baby fairly harkin’; he cryin’ so.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hit is s’pose by narrationists dat de ma ub de chile -got de frog fright, kase frogs wuz so thick, an’ gittin’ -thicker, dat dey wuz in de kitchens, smoke houses, -parlors, tubs, cookin’ ubbins, an’ in de beds; so de -chile’s ma meck uh sort ub deck-ober cradle ub mud, -tar, pitch an’ beeswax, dat made hit frog-proof, an’ -da’s wha dey sho’ly foun’ de baby. Pres’ny Miss -Fario saw uh ooman stan’in’ neah by, so she say, “Is -you de muvva ub dis chile?” She say, “Yes’m!” Miss -Fario say, “Cum heah an’ nuss dis chile right ’way -an’ I’ll pay you ter be de chile’s mammy. I’m gwine -ter ’dopt him; he uh monstus fine chile. ’Sides I want -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>something futto caress; an’ ez I foun’ him in de watah, -I’m gwine ter gib him de lubly name ub Moses, kase -de Bible say in Egyp’ lan’ Moses is de name fuh -watah.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Bimeby he grow’d up ter be uh gre’t man, an’ wuz -ve’y friendly wid de Petracks. Pres’ny you will see -de application.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Well, de king say ter de Petracks, “We is gwine -ter hab uh gre’t famin’, kase de frogs, locusses an’ -grasshoppus is uh carryin’ on high.” So dey all ’cided -ter buy all de cawn dat wuz riz dat yeah. Pres’ny -heah cum de famin’, sho’ nuff; den de Gyptian farmers -an’ sheppards cum ter Joseph. Dey say, “Joseph, -we horngry; we ain’ got no cawn!” Joseph right -’way say, “I’s got plenty cawn!” So dey buy uh -plantation ub cawn, an’ Joseph teck de money ter -de King, an’ de King he hab uh gay time ober dat -money ub de Is’lites.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, strange ter say, wid all de hosses, chariots, -foxhoun’s, an’ I ’specks, fine coon dogs dat dey could -wusship, an’ wid deah wissum tu (kase Mars Pinckney -say dey knew’d mo’n we do)—fuh all dat dey wusship -crockdiles (why, de Bible say King Solomon -had six hun’erd wibes an’ three hun’erd <i>crockdiles</i>; -jes’ think ub dat!), el’phants, ants, bulls, butterflies, -grasshoppus, frogs, an’ I dunno what not, an’ dey -didn’ keer no mo’ fuh one ooman dan uh man keer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>fuh uh yaller-jacket’s nes’. Yas, indeed; dey wusship -’mos’ ev’ything ’ceppin’ uh damsel. Dey had drobes -ub wibes, but dey didn’ hab no condidence in deah -wibes. Why, ef’n dey hab uh composation ebin wid -uh Pawson, dem Kings an’ Judges wud ’mejately hab -deah haids cut orf.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Well, hit cum ter pars in erboutin uh yeah dem -po’ Is’lites cum back ter de Petracks mo’ horngry dan -ebba, an’ tell deah tale ub ’stress. Dey say, “We -ain’ got no money; we spend hit all fuh cawn. Our -fodder is all ’zausted, so we fotch our cattle; we will -gib dese cattle fuh cawn. So Joseph count de cattle -an’ teck ’em fuh cawn. Now, dat’s two yeahs ub de -famine. Dar’s five mo’ yit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Well, hit cum ter pars uh yeah arfter dat dey cum -ergin an’ dey say, “We ain’ got uh <i>cent dis time</i>, an’ -no cattle; how-some-eber, we mus’ hab cawn; we -kyant lib ’dout hit. So dey gib all deah plantations. -So King Fario own all Egyp’ lan’, an’ he carry on -higher still, jes’ scan’lus, ve’y mischevious, kase he -own mos’ ez many plantations ez Ab’ham.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brudderin, uh yeah went by, an’ heah cum dem po’ -horngry sheppards an’ farmers ergin. Dey say, “We -almos’ starbed we so horngry.” King Fario say -“What you got ter gimmy, now?” An’ dey say, -“Nuffin ’ceppin’ our bodies, futto be yo’ slabes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Moses wuz uh gre’t man, ve’y gre’t man (he nuss -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>wuz uh cullud pusson), so he look on all de time, -stroked his whiskus, leaned on dat cutesome rod ub -his’n an’ didn’ say nuffin, jes’ meddowtate an’ muse, -muse an’ meddowtate. Now, Moses natch’ly felt -po’ly kase he had kilt uh Gyptian de day befo’ fuh -kickin’ uh Is’lite, one ub he people. Pres’ny heah -cum King Fario, dribin’ fo’ jack-asses in uh chariot -he had jes’ bought wid sum ub his cawn money. Little -Billy say he read somewha in de Bible dat King Fario -shuck han’s wid Moses, an’ say ter him in uh whispuh:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Moses, I’m gwine ter teck all dem Gyptians ez -slabes. Dar’s such uh drouf, so many frogs, locusses -an’ grasshoppus, da ain’ no use ter set ’em at wuck in -de fiel’s, so I’m gwine ter meck ’em wuck hyard fuh -dat cawn. I wan’ at leas’ uh harf million sot ter wuck -dis day, but what dey gwine ter do? Dat’s de consequation! -Dar’s uh gre’t deman’ fuh bricks ev’ywha, -but meh clay ain’ ve’y good.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den Moses riz up his rod, gib it uh twiss, an’ cunjured -dat rod. Den dey had uh little serpent dance, -an’ while dey wuz uh dancin’ Moses say, “You got -’bun’ance ub straw, an’ ef’n de straw gib out you got -plenty ub stubble.” King Fario say, “Uh case orntried -is hyard ter justify.” Den Moses gib he rod nubba -twiss (Little Billy say dat de rod wuz made outin -witch hazel wood), an’ he spressify, “I’s foun’ out uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>way ter meck bricks ’doutin straw!” An’ right ’way -dem po’ slabes wuz sot ter brick-meckin’.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let us meck brick.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Den arfter dey bin meckin bricks ’boutin two hun’erd -yeah hit cum ter pars dat de profit Ex-o-dus said, -“Ye shall no mo’ gib de people straw ter meck bricks, -ez heahtofo’; let ’em go an’ gavva straw fuh demsebs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brudderin, when you gib bricks uh <i>solid</i> thought -hit’s uh pow’ful subjec’. Fac’ is, we is all bricks, an’ -made fum de same clay. I is not spressifyin’ de application -ter straw bricks, kase I dunno how dey is -turnt ter clay.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Bricks is our house futto dwell in an’ wusshup in -while we libbin’, an’ our house in de groun’ tell de -day cum when de gre’t Marster blow He hohn an’ we -stan’ befo’ uh gate finah dan any King Sol’man ebba -had. Belubbed, is you gwine ter try an’ swing on dat -gate? [A voice: “Yas, Lawd!”] an’ be da ter heah -St. Peter say “Heah cum meh chillun; lemmy call -deah names.” Brudderin, sistus an’ little chillun, -will he call yo’ names?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tilly Mink: “Brer Rasmus, I’m mos’ swingin’ on -dat gate now!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Well, den, meck dat boy Scipio Jones, settin’ ’side -you, teck dat sweet-tater harness orf, an’ dat piece ub -sheep rib outin his mouf, he chawin’, fuh uh bit.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>At de lars camp meetin’ uh ve’y ’stinguish’ Babtis’ -pawson said he wuz s’prised dat de lubly daughter ub -King Fario merried King Sol’mon, uh man dat wusshup’d -frogs, bulls, el’phants an’ crock’diles fuh pets. -My ’pinion is she fell in lub wid dat <i>brick</i> house ub -de King’s, dat de Bible say had two thousan’ baf tubs, -an’ teck thutteen yeah ter buil’. Den, ergin, de -bricks wuz laid in gole. King Fario’s daughter cudn’ -resis’ uh house like dat, an’ I don’ think ’twuz hyard -ter ondastan’. Huh merryin’ de King, dafo’, wuz -uh subjec’ dat wuz rash-nal.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When we gittin’ our heb’nly trunk packed, an’ -when we trabblin’ up ter St. Peter’s gait, I kin see -Uncle Reubin, Aunt Phillis, Uncle Stephen, Aunt -Sookey, Rasmus Jemes, Damon Danridge, Pawson -Phil Demby an’ Mammy Nancy trottin’ ’long de road -in de beauty ub holiness, goin’ ter St. Peter’s gait an’ -longin’ ter git deah han’s on de gait futto ring dat bell. -An’ I kin see Little Billy (be sho’ an’ pray fuh him, -Sistus; ef’n coons, ’possums, fiddles an’ banjos had -nebba ’zisted, he wudn’ be uh sinnah)—yas, I kin see -Little Billy stan’in’ wid Jasper pullin’ dat bell tell he -mos’ breck de wire, an’ pester St. Peter so dat he say, -“Who dat tryin’ ter breck meh bell?” Den de bell -wen’ jing-uh-ling ergin! Den St. Peter ’mejately -stuck he lubly haid ober de gate an’ -say, “Gwuffum heah, Little Billy; you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>ain’ bin ’nointed. Yon got ter lib wid dem -you likes ter keep cump’ny wid; fuh instinc’, -witches, ghoses, jack-uh-ma-lanterns an’ de chillun in -de wilderness ub Zip!” You kin ’magine how po’ -Billy’s face look—much mo’ sadder dan Scip Jones’ -look at de cake-walk lars’ Chris’mus; an’ when St. -Peter smile same ez uh serrypin an’ say, “Heah cum -meh chillun; walk in de watah, fuh hit’s al’ays wahm; -let me babtiz you in de golden ribba,” Billy wuz so -’stressed dat he kicked Jasper an’ say, “Hit’s all yo’ -fault; ef’n you wan’ sech uh good coon dog I’d nebba -bin led ’stray.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, dis will cum ter pars: When St. Peter sees -Aunt Phillis an’ Uncle Reubin cummin’ ’long he will -say, jes’ ez sho’ ez judgmen’ day is cummin’, “Cherrypins -an’ serrypins, an’ Ham, de cullud son ub -Noahy, bresh de dust fum two ub de bes’ seats in de -Lawd’s kitchen fuh dem two saints, an’ tell ’em we -gwine ter hab uh festibal!” I wan’ Ham ter set -’long side you an’ pint out Samuel de fus’, an’ secon’, -Moses, King Dabid, King Fario, Zackeus de climber, -an’ lars’, but not leas’, Ho Ho, an’ you’ll see fum he -habin’ whiskus he ain’ no Chine er Japne. Den de -profit Noahy will renounce dat King Dabid an’ he -son, King Sol’mon, gwine ter sing uh jewette togedda—King -David, ub cose, playin’ on his hyarp ub -uh thousan’ strings; an’ I ’specks dat sweetes’ son ub -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>Noahy, Ham, will play de banjo. Bless meh soul an’ -body, an’ meh body an’ soul, belubbed, what uh festibal -hit will be! Sistus, I kin see ’em all.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tilly Mink: “Yas, Brer Rasmus, all clustah’d -’roun’ de pul-pit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>John Poney: “Kin you see me, Brer Rasmus?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>No; I am lis’nin’ ter ’em talk. Dear little Jona -will tell erboutin’ his sea voyage; St. Peter, dat lubly -’possel, ub how many shirks he kotch an’ kilt; Little -Jack-a-ass erboutin how slippery wuz de sycamo’ tree -he clum; Jacob erboutin de lubly streeked, striped -an’ speckled cattle he riz; Nimrod erboutin coon dogs, -King Sol’mon erboutin he thorrybreds—brudderin’ I -cud preach fum dis tex’ fuh uh monf an’ nebba git -rejected, but I mus’ migrate ter dem dat ain’ bin -’mersed. Wha will dey be when dat sweet festibal -is gwine on? Cole ez hit is—an’ dar’s fo’ back logs -on de fire—I say cole ez hit is, tu cole fuh uh ’possum -ter be out, yit I feel so het up fum dis discose dat I -kin almos’ tase de red hot melted lead, an’ sizzlin’ -brimstone dat de sinnah hab ter resis’ on.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You kyant eat uh hoe-cake but once!” so cum ter -de moanah’s bench now; cum while de hoe-cake ub salbation -is brown wid faith, an’ all kivver’d ober wid de -graby ub redemption, an’ hab yo’ fingahs filled wid -streams ub goodness. When you go befo’ St. Peter, -de gre’t fisherman, he got Moses stan’in’ by he side -wid dat curisome rod ub his’n.<a id='r13' /><a href='#f13' class='c012'><sup>[13]</sup></a> Den Moses tap you on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>de han’ wid he rod, an’ ef’n you good yo’ fingah nails -will fly back, an’ Moses will pull fum yo’ fingahs gre’t -long strings ub goodness; an’ ef’n you bad, gre’t long -black bad strings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin Viney say dat he heah uh gre’t -Mefodis’ pawson say dat Unuch, who wuz transplanted, -wuz so good dat he didn’ hab any fingah nails, -an’ de Mefodis’ pawson also say de reason de debbil -is called Ole Scratch is kase he fingah nails long ez -uh roostus spuhs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, when Moses tap yo’ fingahs what he gwine ter -pull out? Belubbed, now is de time fuh de checkeration -ub yo’ sins. Burhol’ de golden stairs starin’ you -in de face! Sistus an’ brudders, you mus’ try ter -clim’ dem stairs. Hit will meck yo’ legs, ahms, -risses an’ hyarts so strong, jes’ ez it did little Zackasses -when he clum dat slippery sycamo’ tree; an’ when you -git ter de top ub dem golden stairs you will see fus’ -Ole Mars Nickey, Mars Tilghman, Mars Jimmy an’ -Miss Henrietta wid wings <i>’hine</i> an’ <i>befo’</i> an’ cullud -angels consonly breshin’ de dus’ fum Miss Henrietta’s -cheah, an’ lookin’ fuh huh specks, an’ you’ll see de same -sweet ringlets in huh hyah. Yas, indeed! kissen huh -lubly brow, neck an’ bres’ jes’ like de jewdraps kisses -de snowballs in de gyardin. An’ pres’ny she will -raise up dem sweet han’s ub huh’n dat’s of’n bin bu’nt -meckin’ poltices fuh good an’ bad serbents, open huh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>cherrypin mouf an’ say, “Dem’s meh good serbents; -I knew’d dey’d be heah!” An’ den she’ll call Ham -an’ say, “Gib ’em nice seats in de Lawd’s kitchen;” -an’ while she gibbin’ orders King Dabid chune he -hyarp, Gabriel he trumpet, an’ all de res’ ub de gre’t -singers an’ players git ’roun’ de organ. Den King -Sol’mon, wid uh pow’ful bow an’ uh book ub songs -un’er his arm, ax Miss Henrietta futto play de organ; -an’ Miss Henrietta bow fum him an’ look ez prowd ez -uh peacock—an’ she wuz, tu! An’, belubbed, she -say, “I’m sho’ you ain’ pus-nal, den ergin you ain’ -rash-nal, King Sol’mon, kase you had tu many wibes; -an’ ef’n it wan’ fuh dem lubly songs ub yo’n I wudn’ -fogib yo’ sassyness er keep comp’ny wid you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Lars’ but not leas’, I ’specks Aunt Phillis sot at de -melojin in de Lawd’s kitchen wid all Marster’s good -an’ faithful serbents ’roun’ huh, an’ when Moses teck -he rod an’ gib dat rod uh twiss, dey all included by -singin’ togedda, de fo’f vus ub hym 473:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“He suvrin pow’r widout our aid</div> - <div class='line in2'>Made us ub clay [dar’s de application] an’ formed us men;</div> - <div class='line'>An’ when like wan’rin’ sheep we strayed,</div> - <div class='line in2'>He fotch us ter his fol’ ergen.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Befo’ we sojourn I fogot ter renounce dat Mage -Rudd say de keys ub de heb’nly organ wuz all made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>ub gole. Yistiddy I ax Mars Pinckney erboutin hit, -an’ he say, “Sho’! Da wuz uh <i>Key</i> made ub gole dat -writ uh gre’t an’ pow’ful song.” Think ub dat! I -dunno what he mean ezac’ly, but I s’pose hit sompin -in rebellation.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_152f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>OLE MISS.<br /><br />(Miss Henrietta.)</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span> - <h2 class='c005'>JUBA VINEY’S YALLER PANTS.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Flowers were fading. Roses, hyacinths, honeysuckle, -buttercups and bluebells all gave “sigh for -sigh.” ’Twas the last of summer—the hour when -birds fly homeward to their nests, wandering bees -seek their hives, chickens their roosts. ’Twas twilight, -and its dews bathed the blooming clematis, -climbing and caressing the latticed porch; a wooing -breeze wafted its perfume through Otwell House, and -awoke the waves on the slumbering river.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Aunt Phillis had early leave to attend a Baptist -prayer meeting, consequently the crickets were having -a concert in the kitchen, little darkies were romping -merrily on the lawn. Ole Mars was visiting Col. -Leonard Hollyday and shooting sora and blue-wing -duck on Wild Goose Marsh. Miss Henrietta had just -tuned her harp and bade the servants be quiet. Presently -all was silence, save the drowsy burr of some -insect.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Her voice was mellifluous, her face pure and noble, -and the servants worshipped her as the ancient Jews -worshipped Queen Esther. She sang, “There is a -green hill far away,” and her beautiful fingers at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>times touched the strings softly as snowflakes that fall -upon the warm cheek of a maiden and melt into tears—as -did her voice.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Below the porch sat Little Billy an enrapt listener. -Just as the song was ended Juba Viney strolled by, -and Little Billy said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Howdy, Juba! Which way you bin?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ain’ bin no wha; jes’ gwine.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Wha you gwine?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Gwine ter Mage Rudd’s<a id='r14' /><a href='#f14' class='c012'><sup>[14]</sup></a> sto’; tells me mus’rat -hides is riz—wuf uh levy. I’m gwine ter sell mine.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, wait tell I chain Jasper, den I’ll go wid -you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s de matter wid Jasper, Billy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, uh coon bit him in de foot lars nite. Nebber -wud hab bit him ef’n Jasper hadn’ been ’fused. I -smoked de coon outin uh holler, an’ de smoke ’fused -de dog.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’s glad futto hab you go, Billy, kase I wants yo’ -’sponsibility. I’s gwine ter buy some things at de -sto’. I specks ter fill bof dese bags, dat’s full ub -mus’rat hides, wid what I buy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wud teck meh mus’rat hides, too, but I sprain -meh ankle, back, ahms, risses an’ han’s lars nite -clim’in’ uh tree. I ain’ able ter tote nuffin, so I kyant -teck meh skins ter nite.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>“Tho’t you say you smoke de coon out?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“So I did, but dis wuz uh nubba coon.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I hope Mage Rudd won’ be shut up; I wan’ ter -git sompin nice fuh Susan. She ’bout done promise -she gwine ter hab me, Billy; wud uh merried me long -’go, ’ceppin’ fuh dat yaller niggah dat dribes fuh Mrs. -Rodgers. She nebba bin in lub wid Jerry; hit’s only -when Mrs. Rodgers cum ter see Miss Henrietta, an’ -he got on glubs dat’s got fuz on ’em, uh ban’ ’roun’ -he hat; bras’ buttons on he coat, white-top boots on, -an’ uh sorter pine burr on de side ub he hat, an’ al’ays -hab he pocket full ub can’y dat’s got vusses in ’em. -Billy, don’ you say nuffin boutin hit, but I’m gwine -ter hab meh pockets made bigga, an’ gwine ter hab -one pocket full ub dat can’y all de time. What you -s’pose dat can’y got in it? Hit almos’ cunjah Susan.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ef’n Susan cud jes’ see me once dress up dat way, -why, man, she cudn’ resis’ me futto sabe huh life. -Nite befo’ lars’ when she seed me gwine ter Zion, -wid meh yaller pants on dat’s got black stripes down -de legs, dem I bo’t at Mage Rudd’s, she jes’ wuz -charm’; an’ when I show’d huh meh new par ub -gallisters<a id='r15' /><a href='#f15' class='c012'><sup>[15]</sup></a> I got ter ware wid dem pants, she ’low, -‘Juba, you sut’ny do look peart.’ When Aunt -Sookey seed me she sez, ‘Juba, you luck tu sweet -ter lib.’ Den Uncle Stephen he smole uh grin an’ -say, ‘Wait tell Jerry cum prancin’ erlong, you won’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>think so.’ Den dey cummenc’ titterin’ an’ pokin’ -deah necks out jes’ like uh passel ub geese wid young -goslin’s; mos’ ’gusted me! Billy, Mrs. Rodgers -al’ays call dat niggah Jerry-Myah. I nebba knew’d -any niggah ’roun’ heah name’ Myah, did you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Not dat I kin recommember. He cum outin de -Cyahrmichael fambly, an’ dey monstus cute sort ub -niggahs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, he ain’ ’stressin’ me! I walk home fum -Zion lars’ Sunday wid Susan. She did luck tu cute -in dat new Josey ub hern! I dunno which ’track huh -mos’, de gre’t sermon ub Pawson Demby er meh -yaller pants. He prech fum de book ub Daniel -erboutin de time de William goat (Pawson Demby -say ’twan’ perlite ter say Billy goat in de pulpit) fit -an’ smut de ram an’ breck he hohns. He ’cluded fum -two profits (I fogit de name ub de fus’ one, but hit -got Zek in it), an’ hit wuz all erboutin de new moon, -six lam’s an’ uh ram. De udder profit wuz de gre’t -Gencis, an’ Pawson Demby ’splain ter us ’bout de -two hun’erd yews an’ twenty rams dat Jacob sont -See-saw.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Juba, you mean Esau, de hunter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas, dat’s hit, Billy. You see, I kyant read ter -’fresh meh mem’ry. Well, hit wuz uh real farmer’s -sermon, but I wuz glad when de ’cludin’ time cum, -kase Pawson Demby prech two hours an’ uh harf, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>de pew wuz so crowded an’ we sot so close dat bof -meh feet wen’ ’sleep; truf is, dey got so tired, an’ -’twuz so wahm, I wud hab tuck meh shoes orf, but -I didn’ hab no stockin’s on. Mrs. Rodgers’ Jerry -wan’ at chuch. Tilly, he sistah, say he had uh chill. -Wish hit had shake he haid orf! So I walk home -wid Susan. When she got in de kitchen an’ tuck huh -shoes orf she say ergin, ‘Juba, you sut’ny do look -peart!’ Den she put huh han’ in huh pocket, pull -out one dem can’y vusses, an’ she say hit say:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Wiolets red, roses blue,</div> - <div class='line'>Sugah sweet; me too.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Den she pull out nubba, an’ hit say—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Lub hangs ’round dis lubbin’ hyart</div> - <div class='line'>Like flies ’roun’ uh apple tart.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Den she put huh han’s un’er de ap’on strings -’roun’ huh ’squisit’ waise—so! ’Cose I knewed what -dat me’nt, so I tuck uh good tase ub dem big sweet -lips ub huh’n. Den she try ter look like she ’fended, -an’ say, ‘Go ’way, Juba; you al’ays wan’ ter be pus-nal.’ -Den she skip ’long ter de dairy, an’ huh feet tech de -groun’ jes’ ez sorf an’ lite ez uh ’possum’s. Bimeby -she cum back wid huh ahms full ub uh gre’t big -crock ub clabba, all kivvered ober wid brown sugah. -Den I hilt huh an’ kiss’d huh sho’ nuff, mo’n six er -<span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>seben times. I’d uh kiss huh six er seben hun’erd -times, but I heahd Miss Henrietta cummin’ ter see -boutin some ginger cakes she cookin’ in de stobe. I -wuz sut’ny glad to heah huh, tu, kase I specks Susan -wud uh scolded me pow’ful. Dunno tho’; kase when -Miss Henrietta cum tippin’ in so sorf dat huh little -feets wudn’ uh mash uh rose ef’n de kitchen flo’ bin -kivvered wid ’em, Susan she wuz uh singin’, ‘Dar -is uh happy lan’ fa’, fa’ erway,’ same ez uh martingale. -How-some-ebba, she mus’ uh bin uh little -’fused, kase she cummenc’ ter stir dat clabba—when -I heah Miss Henrietta an’ breck uh ’way—same ez -hit wuz eggs, butta, cawn meal an’ butta milk, gittin’ -stirred fuh johnny-cake. I’s teckin dis bag futto carry -what I’s gwine ter buy huh. I wudn’ teck uh kyart-load -ub mus’rat hides fuh dat gal’s lub! An’ ef’n -Mage Rudd is got ’em, I’s gwine ter buy harf peck -ub dat sweet can’y dat’s got vusses, some ammons, -resins, dates an’ apples—’nuff futto fill dis bag. Den -fuh mehsef I wan’ ter git uh mouf orgin, two mo’ -juice-hyarps, an’ wid de res’ ub de money I’s gwine -ter see ef’n I kyant buy uh new par ub pants, yaller -wid black stripes, an’ uh fiddle.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You better buy sompin’ dat will meck money.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s dat?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, some ub dem new kine ub steel traps, ’sted -ub wasein’ yo’ money on can’y, resins, an’ sich like -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>fuh dat gal Susan futto eat wid Mrs. Rodgers’ Jerry. -Juba, you sut’ny mus’ t’ink ’tain’ no trubble ter ketch -mus’rats an’ skin ’em, de way you wase yo’ money; -mo’n dat, I wants ter borry two dollars fum you -mehsef tell I sell meh mus’rat hides. Now, what you -wan’ wid two par yellow pants’ Dey ve’y putty, but -one par nuff fuh dis summer, dat’s harf gone.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Billy, I spile dem pants day befo’ yistiddy, -which I will tell you boutin, tho’ hits uh composation -dat’s ornpleasan’ ter me. Well, I had bin haulin’ -cawn all day ter Cap’n Stitchberry’s schooner, de -Margaret Jane. I wan’ ter dress up ter teck Susan -ter de ’bate at Zion Chuch, so I jes’ fed Crow an’ -Ab’ham, tu’n ’em loose, an’ didn’ teck deah yoke off. -Fus’ place, dat white steer Crow is dangersome ter -projic wid—Uncle Stephen say de gre’tes’ kicker he -ebba saw; an’ he say de nite Crow wuz bohn wuz de -wus’ nite he ebba saw. Blowin’, dark an’ snowin’—so -dark dat’s why dey call him Crow. Uncle Stephen -say when uh leetle ca’f he wud kick his ma, ole -Snowball, quick ez he wud kick you. So, ’cose I didn’ -wan’ dat steer ter kick me big ez he is. I heahd -Uncle Silas say one time he wuz plowin’ wid Dove an’ -Pigeon—dey wuz de bigges’ an’ strongis’ mules Mars -Nickey had. He plow’d up uh yaller-jackets’ nes’, -an’ he wuzn’ watchin Dove er Pigeon; he wuz jes’ -watchin’ an’ fightin’ dem yaller-jackets. He say he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>had mos’ wo’ out uh bran’ new straw hat fightin’ ’em, -an’ wuz mos’ ’zausted, when dey got on Dove. She -gib uh kick, <i>bof</i> huh feet hit him on de haid an’ gib -him de haidache all day. An’ dat uh steer name -Sampson—an’ he wan’ sech uh pow’ful steer neba—kick -him on de haid wid <i>one</i> foot, an’ he haid ache -fuh <i>two</i> days.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, ez I wuz tellin’ you, I hadn’ mo’n fed Crow -an’ Ab’ham, when dat new oberseer, Dan Sharp, cum -’long an’ sez ter me, jes’ ez I wuz startin’ ter see -Susan, ‘Why didn’ you teck de yoke of’n dem steers?’ -So I say, ‘Kase I fogot hit!’ ‘Well, den,’ he say, -’you lazy roscal, teck hit orf now!’ I wuz all dress -up in meh bes’ summer close, an’ I recommembered -what you say boutin dat oberseer; so I riz meh haid -up an’ say, sassy-like, ‘You roscal yo’sef.’ Billy, wid -dat he fairly foam at de mouf, run arfter me fas’ ez -uh colt; den I run an’ run, but he gain on me (you -see, I had meh shoes on), an’ I wuz so feard gittin’ -kotch an’ whupped, da wuz nuffin lef’ fuh me but -ter run in de creek, at de mouf ub Haylan’ Branch, -up ter meh neck—<i>wid dem new yaller pants on</i>. -Arfter I had bin in de watah boutin twenty minutes, -mebby uh harf hour, long nuff fuh Dan Sharp ter -git his bref back, he say, ‘Who uh roscal, you black -imp; me er you?’ I sez rite quick, ‘I is!’ Den he -say, ‘You kin cum outin de creek.’ Den I tu’n fool, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>ez hit tu’n out, an’ say, ‘I ain’ gwine ter cum out; -I’s gwine ter suffah in heah. I’s gwine ter git de -cramps, an’ uh mis’ry in meh back, an’ den go an’ tell -Mars Nickey an’ Miss Henrietta how I kotch dem -cramps.’ Den Dan Sharp say, ‘Ef’n you gwine ter -tell yo’ Mars Nickey an’ Miss Henrietta, den I will -keep you in heah tell midnite.’ Den he teck out he -watch an’ say, ‘I’ll send de fus’ one ub de chillun dat -cum ’long de road fuh meh supper. I ain’ sorry ter -stay heah, kase I heah tell ub de dancin’ parties de -witches hab in dis branch, an’ I wanter see how long -hit will teck ’em ter gib you spavins when dey gits -ter dancin’ an’ meddowtatin’ ’roun’ you an’ tryin’ ter -meck sturrups in yo’ hyah.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Billy, I had meh hyah all tied up in twisses, but -when de oberseer talk dat fashion, meh hyah riz up on -meh haid so quick hit bus’ dem twisses. I mos’ had -uh spavin, sho’ nuff. When meh bref cum back I -say, ‘Befo’ de Lawd, Mr. Sharp, I promis’ not ter tell.’ -Den he lemmy cum out. Well, Billy, ef’n you cud -hab seed de colour de salt watah tu’n dem lubly pants, -you’d uh wep’. Do you recommember uh ole white-eyed, -pie-coloured hoss dat good ole Quakah, Mars -Isaac Atkinson, had name Skeuball?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“’Cose I do. Mars Isaac use ter say witches made -stirrups in he main, an’ sometimes rid him ober ter -Fausley.” [Billy was that witch!]</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“Well, de colour ub dem pants ’mine me ub ole -Skeuball; I kyant ’magin’ what de man dat made de -muslin cud uh put in hit. An’ Billy, I kyant ondastan’ -how cum Mr. Sharp run me in dat creek. I’m -mo’n twice ez big ez you is, an’ you say when he cuss -you, you cuss him back. ’Cose arfter what you -spressify ter me, when he sass me I rite ’way ’cluded -ter sass him. So I say, ‘You roscal yo’sef.’ Billy -you no de consequation ub dat miration. I ’ten’ ter -ax Mr. Sharp when he meck up wid me how cum hit -dat Billy kin cuss him an’ I kyant ebin sass him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Juba, don’ tu’n fool ergin. Don’ say nuffin ter -him nohow; hit will jes’ meck him mad ergin, an’ dat -gre’t big man mite breck bof our necks. Da wuz uh -checkeration in our composation de nite I tole you, -fuh Mage Rudd tuck his broom an’ fairly swep’ me -outin his sto’ fuh spillin’ mullasses on de sto’ flo’, an’ -I wuz tu fusstified ter tell you de res’ ub what I did -boutin Mr. Sharp. Well, Juba, de res’ is, when I -wan’ ter cuss him I goes way up ter de top ub de hill -’hin’ de bawn. Den I looks all ’roun’ an’ ’roun’, an’ -ef’n I don’ see Mr. Sharp no wha neah, I jes’ cuss, -cuss, an’ cusses him; an’ dat way, hit do mo’ good dan -yo’ way, kase you kin git mad ez you wan’ ter, spressify -yo’sef jes’ ez yo’ wan’ ter, an’ hit don’ teck de colour -outin yo’ pants.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Billy, I ain’ fogot de spilein’ ub dem pants, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>I tell you. I bin t’inkin’ ’bout breckin’ meh wud an’ -tyin’ meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ tellin’ Mars -Nickey de ve’y fus’ time he ax me how I feel. Den -I’ll say, “Po’ly, Mars Nickey; ve’y po’ly eber sence -Mr. Sharp run me in yo’ creek at de foot ub Haylan’ -Branch mash an’ kep’ me stan’in’ in da mos’ all nite -tramplin’ on yo’ oysters. Now, what do you t’ink, -Billy, boutin dat?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ez you gwine ter tell Marster in de summah time -er de wintah time?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dunno, Billy; I ain’ t’ink ’bout dat.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, teck my ’vice an’ tell him in de summah -time, kase boutin uh harf hour arfter you tell him, -da will be tu pussons stan’in’ in de creek up ter deah -moufs—one will be Mr. Sharp, tudda, Juba Viney.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span> - <h2 class='c005'>“HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.”</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Sistus, brudders an’ chillun: You will fine meh -tex’ in de forty-fus’ chaptah ub Job, an’ uh part ub de -twenty-fus’ vus: “His bref kinleth coals.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fus’ly, meh discose ter-day will be ’boutin strange -things.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Da is some people in dis congation, ’tickerly Little -Billy, dat kyant ondastan’ why we don’ no mo’ erboutin -witches, an’ ghoses. De fac’ is, sence de -witch cummittee went inter Haylan’ Branch, saw uh -ghose er sperrit—an’ dey sut’ny saw one er de udda—da -has bin too much witch talk in dis congation. Fuh -instinct, what diffunc’ do hit meck ef’n hit de same -sort, er not de same sort, ub witches dat Saul talk -erboutin when he say, “Thou shal’ not suffah uh witch -ter lib.” Mo’n dat, he cud ’ford ter talk dat way, fars -ez he cud run.</p> - -<p class='c010'>De Bible say, “Saul an’ Jonithan wuz swiftah dan -eagles.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Secon’ly, Meh belubbed sistus, da is some things -you nebba kin fine out, stranger dan witches an’ mo’ -’structive dan witches er jack-uh-ma-lanterns.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>Thudly, Dis lubly oak pulpit Mars Nickey had -built full us wuz once uh acorn—think ub dat; an’ -you may keep on thinkin’, but you kyant ondastan’ it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fo’fly, Miss Henrietta cum in de chuch yistiddy an’ -look ’roun’ while I wuz sweepin’. She say: “Reubin, -Chris’mus I gwine ter gib de chuch uh melojin.” -She had in huh bres’ fo’ er five little wiolets, an’ dey -jes’ fill de chuch full ub deah sweetness—dunno tho’, -kase I specks some ub de sweetness wuz fum huh bref, -kase hit’s jes’ like uh lam’s.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, den, what cud be mo’ strange dan de odah -fum uh little wiolet? Hit cums peepin’ up in de -early spring, den hit buds an’ blooms, an’ uh bed ub -dem wiolets is ez sweet ez dat hyarp ub uh thousan’ -strings dat little Dabid played ’pon. What’s in de -groun’ ’ceppin’ de wumms ter gib dat wiolet odah? -Mars Nickey say dat wumms sweeten de uth an’ meck -holes futto let de air in. You kin smell de wiolet, -but you kyant kerry dat odah ’way wid you; but uh -jewdrap kin cum ’long erboutin sundown, drap on dat -flowah, res’ uh little while, an’ what’s de consequation? -Why, dat little jewdrap will ’sorb ernuff ub -dat odah ter meck yo’ hankcheah smell sweet fuh uh -hole Sunday, an’ you kin teck hit outin yo’ pocket -ev’y five minutes, ef’n you wan’ter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>What’s witches er ghoses ’long side de mistification -ub uh jewdrap? Why, de action ub young chickens -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>is mo’ curisome ter me dan witches. Ef’n uh chicken -is only two days ole, and not strong ernuff ter git on -he ma’s back, an’ uh wile tukkey, er wile goose, er -buzzard cum sailin’ ’long, hit don’ pesterfy de ole -hen er any ub huh chicks. Dey keep on playin’ wid -dere toes an’ tryin’ ter pick up ebery little trem’lin’ -sunbeam dat’s playin’ wid de grass; but jes’ let uh -little sparrow-hawk, er any kind ub hawk cum ’long, -you’ll see dat ole hen renounce hit ter huh chicks -quick ez you kin wink yo’ eye. Den you kin look an’ -look, but you kyant fine one ub dem little chickens -ter sabe yo’ life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now, why is dat? Hits da <i>in</i>-sence; dat is, de sence -dat’s in ’em.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sixly, Teck uh little cherry blossom dat you cud -put in Miss Henrietta’s thimble; hit mecks uh cherry -tree. I’s talkin’ now boutin dem small breed ub -cherry blossoms dat grows at Fausley, on dem monstus -gre’t big trees. Why, some ub de bumps on dem -trees is big ernuff ter set on. Pow’ful big cherry -trees! What’s witches ter de cherry blossoms dat -mecks dem big trees? You kyant ’splain hit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>We do no sompin’ erbout witches; fuh instinct, -we kin ondastan how some breed ub witches kin lib -in cows’ hohns—dem small ones dat Little Billy say -lit on Pigeon’s mane (an’ you no mules don’ hab long -manes) jes’ same ez uh pack ub mice wid wings, one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>night when he ridin’ Pigeon thoo Haylan’ Branch. -Billy say de biggis’ one he saw dat time wuz uh white -one, wid spuhs on, boutin ez big ez uh young rabbit -befo’ dey leabe deah nes’—an’ ub cose at uh ’stressin’ -time like dat Billy mus’ uh saw twice. Mo’ober he -say ef’n de witches had uh had bobtails he wud uh -tuck ’em fuh rabbits; but deah tails wuz ve’y curisome—erbout -twice ez long ez uh ’possum’s, an’ rap -all ’roun’ deah ahms.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But de stranges’ thing ub all is what I now cum ter -seben’ly—</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>We kyant say our pr’ars widout hit. Hit’s got -fingahs, I s’pose plays hohns an’ all insterments dat -you blow on. Hit sings, howls, whispuhs an’ moans -same ez uh mo’nah. Hit’s uh thing wid three names.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ev’ybody lubs de part dat ’longs ter him mo’n uh -jus’ man lub his wife, er King Dabid lubb’d Ab-so-lum. -We kin see hit in wintah when hit’s cole an’ -frosty, but kyant see hit in de summah when it dry. -Hit’s wid us whedder we ersleep er wake. Som’times -hit’s ez weak ez uh nat, den ergin stronger dan -de little hills dat de Bible say, “skipped like lam’s.” -Hit’s wahm in summah an’ cole in wintah. Hit’s gentle -one day an’ sassy nubba day. Hit kerries in hit’s -bres’ de storm an’ scatters de clowds. Hit wuz wid -Jonah in de whale’s belly. Hit kin sow an’ reap. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>Ezactly so, precisely. Hit’s stronger dan all de -steers, cows, hosses, mules an’ men on dis plantation. -In quaresomeness da’s nuffin kin tech it; uh barnyard -full ub witches is nuffin ter dis mis’try.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Ately, hit kin be ez sorf ez de fevvers on uh hummin’ -bird’s bres’ er de down on uh wile goose’s neck. -Belubbed, hit’s nebba still; al’ays goin’ somewha, an’ -de Bible say you kyant see hit. No snail kin creep -’long slower dan hit kin, an’ no ghose run fasser.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ninely, Hit kin canter, rack, gallop, trot; hit’s got -all de gaits, an’ when hit comes ter swif’ness, dar ain’ -nuffin un’er de sun, an’ I specks ober de sun, dat kin -run erway fum hit. Hit kin sing ez high ez Aunt -Phillis an’ ez low ez Little Billy. Sometimes hit -coughs same ez an ole cow dat’s tryin’ ter swaller uh -nubbin ’dout chawin’ hit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Leb’nly, De fac’ is, sistus an’ brudders, our bref, -de win’, er air—three names fuh one thing—mus’ be -uh pusson. How cud it cough, whistle, sing, cry, moan -same ez uh sinnah, whispuh, sow an’ reap, ef’n it wan’ -one ub dem Possels er Petracks in disgise.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“HIS BREF KINLETH COALS.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Twelf’ly, <i>Any way you look at hit</i>, hit sut’ny mus’ -be some kine ub pusson. Brudderin, hit mus’ be Job, -fuh Job say, “O, recommember dat meh life <i>is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>wind</i>.”<a id='r16' /><a href='#f16' class='c012'><sup>[16]</sup></a> Dar’s uh gre’t deal mo’ ub it in Haylan’ -Branch dan witches. In de summahtime hit -sweetens Haylan’ Branch; huvverin’ ober de -wile grapewines, dem nights in June, drinks -itself full ub ’licious odahs an’ brings dem -two miles ter Mars Nickey, Miss Henrietta -an’ de chillun settin’ on de po’ch lookin’ at de Tred -Avon, an’ ter ev’y good an’ bad niggah on de plantation. -Sistus, I specks de gyarden ub Edum wuz full -ub wile grapewines. ’Cose Miss Eve knew’d what -de sweetes’ ub odahs wuz, an’ I specks Mars Adam -an’ Miss Eve spent da moon-honey ’roun’ dem wile -grapewines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Thutteenly, Ter cum back ter de application, what -is de win’? Is it uh Cherrypin er Serrypin, er Job -in disgise?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Damon Danridge: “Uncle Reubin hit cudn’ be uh -Cherrypin er Serrypin, kase sometimes de win’ good-temper’d, -den ergin hit’s angry.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Uncle Reubin: “Damon, I ’cepts yo’ ’spons’bility, -kase when de win’ gits rale mad hit orften mecks de -clowds weep snow an’ cry rain. Think ub dat! An’ -when you see de ole steamboat Marylan’ lash ter de -warf, an’ Cap’n Stitchberry’s ole yaller sail schooner, -de Margaret Jane, clair up ter de haid ub Fausley -<span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>Creek, you kin see ’mejately de win’ almos’ got uh -spavin.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fo’teenly, Sistus, brudders an’ little chillun, teck -care ub yo’ bref; fuh de Bible say, “We all do fade ez -de leaf.” You wan’s de bref ub life all de time, night -an’ day, right wid you. Brudders, sometimes hit’s too -full ub applejack, udder times mebby hit’s wasted -tellin’ lies, dancin’, playin’ de fiddle, singin’ songs, -stealin’ watahmillions, an’ habin’ foolish composations -erbout ghoses, jack-uh-ma-lanterns an’ witches, when -de same bref mout uh bin used futto pray wid an’ sing -hyms. Ef’n you don’ teck care ub yo’ bref you will -be class wid dem dat’s call uh bag ub win’—an’ da -ain’ nuffin mo’ onsartin’ dan de win’.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Lars’ but not leas’, when you go home talk erboutin’ -de win’ ’sted ub ghoses an’ witches, ondastan’ yo’sebs, -pray fuh de bref ub de lam’ futto be wid you, an’ -when you rassle wid yo’ lars bref an’ hit whispuh sorf -ez uh Cherrypin—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Yo’ll not git los’ in de wildernes’</div> - <div class='line'>Wid uh lighted can’le in yo’ bres’.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Light de can’le! Ef’n you don’ light hit good an’ -hab de wick ub salbation, den de blessed Lawd will -<i>blow</i> hit out an’ say ergin: “Foxes hab holes, an’ de -birds ub de <i>air</i> (dar’s de application) hab nesses; but -de Son ub Man hath not wha ter lay His haid.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_170f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>BLACK CREEK FORD.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span> - <h2 class='c005'>DAT AUNTYDOTE.<a id='r17' /><a href='#f17' class='c012'><sup>[17]</sup></a></h2> -</div> - -<h3 class='c016'>Dramatis Personae.</h3> - -<div class='lg-container-b c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Mars Dick—A country doctor.</div> - <div class='line'>Ben—a credulous darkey.</div> - <div class='line'>Mike—a Talbot County mule.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h3 class='c016'>ACT I.</h3> - -<h4 class='c017'>SCENE I.—Ben’s cabin near a swamp.</h4> - -<div class='lg-container-l c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>When Mike, meh mule, tuck sick Mars Dick cum ridin’ by</div> - <div class='line'>An’ say, “Uh case orntried is hyard ter jestify;</div> - <div class='line'>Still, I kin git him well, meck up yo’ mine ter dat,</div> - <div class='line'>Ef you will turn yo’ pollyticks an’ be uh Dimmycrat.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I’s gwine ter try an’ git inter de Legislater, Ben,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ I wan’ ter run uh haid ub de res’ ub all de men.”</div> - <div class='line'>De consequation wuz I say, “I’ll vote fuh you, Mars Dick,</div> - <div class='line'>Fuh dis po’ wretched mule ub mine is mighty, monstus sick.”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Den Mars Dick say, “Be quick! Run ter de swamp an’ get</div> - <div class='line'>Snake-root, squaw-root, mash-mallers an’ bone-set;</div> - <div class='line'>Ros’ ’em in uh spidah tell dey squench up inter uth,</div> - <div class='line'>Den da ain’ no tellin’ what sich uh powder’s wuth.”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>Hit seems ter me de price wuz big dat I got fuh meh vote,</div> - <div class='line'>Kase Mars Dick say dem swamp yearbs wuz uh pow’ful auntydote</div> - <div class='line'>Fuh hic-cups, cramps, brownchytiz, bruises, bu’ns, haidaches,</div> - <div class='line'>Rheumatiz an’ measles, conwulsions and de shakes.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>An’ den Mars Dick he tole me, in de mawnin’ ’fo’ I feed</div> - <div class='line'>Futto go inter de swamp an’ git de largis’ reed I seed,</div> - <div class='line'>An’ fill hit full fum en’ ter en’ wid dat gran’ auntydote,</div> - <div class='line'>Pull out Mike’s tongue, put in de reed, an’ blow hyard down he thote.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h4 class='c017'>SCENE II.</h4> - -<div class='lg-container-l c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In ’bout uh week I heahd uh nock—’twuz Mars Dick at de do’;</div> - <div class='line'>I’d jes’ begun uh leetle bit ter walk ’cross de flo’;</div> - <div class='line'>De pussperation baved meh face, an’ I had so leetle bref,</div> - <div class='line'>Dat Mars Dick say, “Why, Ben, what’s de matter wid yo’sef?”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I say ter him, “Dat auntydote wuz wus’n dangerous,</div> - <div class='line'>De mule he gib uh pow’ful snort, <i>an’ his blow wuz de fus’</i>!</div> - <div class='line'>De bone-set’s clustah’d ’roun’ meh bones, de snake-root’s in meh brain,</div> - <div class='line'>Meh back is full ub mis’ry, an’ meh haid is full ub pain.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<h4 class='c017'>MORAL.</h4> - -<div class='lg-container-l c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Young Marster ain’ de kine ub man dat suits de Legislater,</div> - <div class='line'>He spressify his condidence too much ter meck uh ’bater;</div> - <div class='line'>Dat auntydote dey call it wud nebber tech meh thote</div> - <div class='line'>Ef I hadn’ pestered pollyticks an’ sole fuh weeds meh vote.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id004'> -<img src='images/i_172f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>“SKYLARK.”<br /><br />Mars Matthew wuz ridin’ in de lead on Skylark, an’ his favorite hound, Jerry Myah, wuz tonguein’<br />ez sweet ez er Melojin, an’ leadin’ de pack.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span> - <h2 class='c005'>EZRA.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Ezzy, as the servants called him, was a brother to -Little Billy, almost as smart, but in character as unlike -as Jacob and Esau were in appearance, for Billy -had very little character and Ezzy a great deal. He -was short of stature, well figured, good featured, perfect -teeth, and though 60 years old, was full of life, -gracious and light-hearted. He doted on a horse race, -could cut the pigeon wing and was as fond of a fox -hunt as Squire Weston. As much as he loved to eat, -he would leave a steaming breakfast of hominy and -sparerib if he heard a pack in full cry.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He had a most remarkable memory; for instance, -he knew the mothers of all the calves and lambs, the -names of all the oyster pungies, schooners and canoes -in the river. I suppose in Bolingbrook District there -were a hundred foxhounds; he knew all of their -names, and when they passed him in full cry would -exclaim, “Da goes Chimes, Jerry-Myah, Boxer, Juno, -Jew-Drap, Sweet-lips, Heatherbell, Sweetheart,” etc. -He sang, played the banjo and was a decided beau. -Indeed, he was a born sport, and like his brother, -Little Billy, not fond of hard work. He was an exceptionally -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>good horseman, had good hands and good -judgment; in Queen Anne’s County had ridden and -won two races for his Marster; could break a yoke of -oxen in a week; schooled the hunters, broke the colts, -rode them bare-back, and, as he would say, “Dey -jes’ drapped into his ways.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra had his faults, however, and annoyed the overseers -with his shortcomings. For example, he doted -on coon hunting, and when he had been coon hunting -all night, would go to sleep for hours next day -husking corn and not husk enough to pay for his -bacon. If a fox was run through the estate, Ezra -would pack in and forget his work. When the overseers -would call him to account he would say, “I cudn’ -help gittin’ ’stracted an’ harkin’ up dem houn’s. Mars -Matthew wuz ridin’ in de lead on Skylark, an’ his favorite -houn’, Jerry-Myah, wuz tonguein’ ez sweet -ez uh melojin, an’ leadin’ de pack.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Late in September, 1857, to judge Cotswold sheep -his Marster was invited to the great cattle and horse -show to be held in Memphis, Tenn., the next month. -As Ezra was fond of animals, and trifling about hard -work, had good manners and full of kindness, his -Marster concluded to send him to Memphis with eight -sheep, the pick of the flock.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_174f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Dey ’long ter Mars Matthew; his Gre’t Gran Pa, dey tell me, hope C’lumbus ter ’sciver Talbot County, an’ dat wuz befo’ de Petracks (Patriarchs) cum ober.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>They stopped in Baltimore, where Noah Walker -& Company fitted him out with two suits of brown -livery with brass buttons. He was given a new hat, -as he expressed it, “Wid uh burr on one side de hat;” -but his new boots particularly charmed him, as the -best servants got boots, and the others shoes. From -Baltimore, Ezra was sent direct to Memphis, and his -Mars Matthew joined, in Richmond, Col. John Ware, -of Virginia, who bred Cotswold sheep and exhibited -in Memphis.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At the Memphis show, three of Ezra’s sheep took -blue ribbons, one a red ribbon. He was standing -in front of his sheep cot, two days after arriving—standing -as though he was going to have his picture -taken, delighted with himself and the blue ribbons. -A man came along and said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Has your Marster many sheep like these?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Many? Erbout ten thousan’; dey jes’ run an’ -tuck de fus’ dey kotch.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Another man said, “Whose sheep are these?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dey ’long ter Mars Matthew; his gre’t granpa, dey -tell me, holp C’lumbus ’sciver Talbot County, an’ dat -wuz befo’ de Petracks cum ober.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Presently a neat, likely looking mulatto girl came -along, looked admiringly at Ezra, leaned over the -rail of the sheep cot and said demurely, “Kin I pat -one ub yo’ sheep?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sut’ny, honey; dey won’ bite,” Ezra said. “Do -you lib ’roun’ heah?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>“Yas, indeed;” and she added, “Wha you cum -fum; ’roun’ heah?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Bless meh soul an’ body an’ meh body an’ soul—ter -think I cum fum dis place! Why, dar ain’ no -salt watah heah! I cum fum de Eastern Sho’ ub -Maryland, Talbot County. Uncle Stephen Viney say -dat he heah John Poney say dat he heah Pawson -Phil Demby say dat meh fambly bin libbin’ in Talbot -County fum de times ub de Petracks. It’s de fines’ -place on uth; don’ hab ter wuck much; da ain’ much -lan’, mos’ ev’ything salt watah, ribbers, bays, creeks -and cobes. Fuh instinct, I tecks meh boat”——</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is you uh free pusson?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Me? Dey don’ ’low free niggahs down dar; dey -all qual’ty slabes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, you said you had uh boat.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sut’ny I did. Ef’n uh serbent wants uh boat he -jes’ say ter Mars Matthew, ‘I wants uh pine tree, -meh Marster, futto meck uh boat,’ an’ rite ’way he -say, ‘Teck yo’ choice in de fores’;’ an’ den ten er twelbe -serbents almos’ meck dat boat in one night; dey call -’em dug-outs. Well, I kin teck meh boat an’ cross -de watah fum Mars Matthew’s ter Mars Jimmy’s, -erbout uh harf mile, in uh harf hour an’ mebby fish -meh net on de way; ef’n I had ter go by lan’, it wud -be twelbe miles erroun’.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is de fishin’ good down da? Any mullets?”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_176f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Meh name is Ezra, but dey call me Ezzy.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>“Mullets! We gib dem ter de hogs. We eats what -dey call spot, hog-fish, yaller-neds, catfish, pearch, -sheepshead, crokusses, bay mackrel—dat lars fish de -bes’ ub all; don’ hab ter mobe yo’ lips an’ tongue -’tall; hit jes’ melt in yo’ mouf—an’ crabs an’ oysters -dey almos’ beg you ter eat ’em. Coons in de swamps, -an’ ’possums in mos’ ev’y ’simmon tree. Serbents -don’ hab much ter do; I dress up dis way mos’ all de -time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, you sut’ny do look peart in dat suit, an’ -you sut’ny mus’ lib in uh pow’ful fine country. I’m -a chambermaid, an’ ’longs ter Mars Bedford Forrest, -who’s showin’ some game chickens an’ fine cattle, -heah; dat’s one ub his serbents stan’in’ in front ub -dem cattle; ax him ter bring you ’roun’ ter-night ter -see me; I’s jes’ pinin’ ter heah sum mo’ erbout dem -ribbers an’ ocean. Meh name is Muhtilda.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Meh name is Ezra, but dey call me Ezzy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, kin I ’speck you, Ezzy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes’m; erboutin supper time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every night Ezra went to see Matilda, and every -day, as long as she could get off, Matilda came to see -Ezra. The result was, at the end of the week they -were married. Ezra never said a word to his Marster -about it, and urged her to be silent. She was faithful, -dependent and obedient. Ezra told her “he wuz -not gwine ter say anything ter his ole Marster tell de -<span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>day befo’ gwine home, and den his Mars Matthew wud -buy huh. Ef’n I say anything rite ’way he mout git -rejected, teck me home by mehsef, teck off dis nuniform; -mo’n dat, he mout whup me, an’ nebba let me go -ter any mo’ shows.” Matilda grew so worried that she -cried and cried; she was more than perplexed, almost -hysterical, so she told Ezra she was going to see and -talk to his Marster. Ezra was affrighted, and said, -“Ef’n you tu’n fool an’ git ter prancin’ erroun’ Marster, -he will say dat he is sho’ you mus’ uh run ’way -wid me, an’ dat he don’ like Tennessee niggahs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Matilda had more courage, however, than Ezra, so -she interviewed Ezra’s Marster, who said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Are you a slave?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I hope your Marster is good and kind to you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Y-a-s, indeed, meh Marster; he is ve’y ’zactin’ an’ -punnounced, but he is jes’ ez kind ez kind kin be; -ef’n I hadn’ fell in lub wid Ezzy, dat Eastern Sho’ an’ -his boat, I wudn’ arsk you ter buy me an’ leabe Mars -Bedford; but you know Ezzy hab ve’y cutesome -ways.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Suppose I can get your Marster to buy Ezra and -make him promise never to sell him as long as he behaves -himself; how then? I hate to part with him, but -I have servants enough.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Meh Marster, dat will settle de ’spute rite ’way; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>please sell Ezzy to Mars Bedford. I’m sho’ he wudn’ -part wid me, an’ Ezzy wild suit him futto handle de -hosses.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Mr. Forrest said he would not take five thousand -dollars for Matilda; she was all in all the best servant -he ever owned, and after a brief talk not only bought -Ezra, but the sheep; so they did not have to come -home and carry their tails behind them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>N. B. Forrest soon became attached to Ezra, -thought the world of him, and when the Civil War -broke out took him as his body servant. Ezra served -him faithfully during the war, and when General -Forrest disbanded his troops at Gainesville, Ala., May -9th, 1865, General Forrest told Ezra he would give -him a home and take care of him as long as he lived. -Ezra said, “He wud like once mo’ ter see Mars -Matthew an’ Miss Mary an’ den cum back.” Whereupon -General Forrest presented him with Pigeon, a -mule, and gave him money enough to go home. He -rode some hundred and seventy miles to the home of -a Mrs. Sanson, where he stayed two weeks, and then -took the train from Rome, Ga., for home; and one -bright, beautiful morning early in June, timid and -lonesome the steamer landed him at Miles River -Wharf, Talbot County, Maryland, a mile by water -from “Fairlands.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>All faces were strange to him; he knew no one and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>no one knew him. “The Rest” had been burned during -the war, and the new house looked strange. Across -the river and opposite “The Rest” was “The Anchorage.” -It looked changed; there were no little negroes -playing on the lawn. “The Villa” further up the -river was almost hidden by the trees that had grown -so since he left. Timidly he turned his longing eyes -on “Fairlands,” and he saw, a mile away across the -river, grand pecan nut, majestic oak, poplar and -horse-chestnut trees. He pulled from his pocket a -bandanna handkerchief almost big enough to cover a -baby’s crib, and said, brushing tears from his eyes, -“Dat’s wha Mars Matthew an’ Miss Mary lib. Dat’s -‘Fairlands.’” He asked an old darkey unloading -fish and soft crabs from his canoe if, for thirty cents, -he would land him at the foot of the “Fairlands” garden. -“Git abode; I got meh net sot at de foot ub de -gyarden.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ev’ything is so changed,” he said inaudibly, as -he took his seat in the bow of the boat. “Mars Bedford -tole me I al’ays had uh home wid him,” and he -almost regretted leaving his far Southern home.</p> - -<p class='c014'>What a lovely day it was! The air was of caressing -softness; the breeze was so light that the sail sometimes -jibed, the ripples kissed lightly the sides of the -boat that floated lazily along; the balmy June air, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>sweet breath of the salt water, all, coupled with Ezra’s -fatigue, soothed him and presently he was asleep. His -hat fell off beside him, and</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Da wuz no wool on de top ub his haid,</div> - <div class='line'>In de place wha de wool orter grow.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Here and there on his face were little tufts of beard -that looked like tiny grains of popped corn.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In about an hour the boatman turned the stern of -his boat towards the shore and pushed her on the -beach at the foot of the garden back of the dwelling—spanked -the water with his paddle, and Ezra awoke, -got out, walked through the water bushes and soon -was strolling along one of the garden walks. He -thought how strange it was in the month of June those -once leafless and carpet-like walks should be strewn -with leaves; then he noticed that the box hedges were -ragged and in places had paths through them; the -grape arbors were decayed here and there and tottering, -and many grapevines were trailing over and embracing -leafless and dying peach and pear trees——</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>All that’s bright must fade,</div> - <div class='line in2'>The brightest still the fleetest;</div> - <div class='line'>All that’s sweet was made</div> - <div class='line in2'>But to be lost when sweetest!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Only the birds seemed to care for and own this once -enchanting and beautiful garden, “warbled their native -wood notes wild” and sang hallelujahs to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>morning-glories and other flowers. Acres of air were -filled with the delicious perfume of blooming grapevines, -and the canticles of birds.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra sank upon an old rustic seat and said again, -“Mars Bedford say he wud al’ays teck care ub me. -I’m sorry I spent meh money and lef’ de Souf, but I -wan’ ter see Mars Matthew an’ Miss Mary once mo’,” -and again he took out that bandanna handkerchief. -His solitude was broken by old Sam’l, once one of the -gardeners, the only servant that stayed when they -were emancipated. He had on his arm a basketful of -cling peaches. He said, “I s’pose you bin sorf crabbin’ -’long de sho’ an’ cum up heah ter res’ yo’sef dis sweet, -lubly day?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra said: “I ain’ bin crabbin’, do’ I lubs crabbin’ -an’ lubs crabs futto eat. I’m jes’ fum de wah; fit in -mos’ ev’y battle. Mars Bedford Forrest <i>wuz wid me -all de time</i>. Ub cose you hearn tell ub him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sam’l looked at him inquisitively, and said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, hush!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>And then Ezra’s face beamed, he recognized old -Sam’l, and he said, “Don’ you recommember me, -Brer Sam? I’s Ezzy, Leetle Billy’s brudder, dat -Mars Matthew sold ter Mars Bedford befo’ de wah.” -Whereupon they embraced.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_182f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>So by and by “Ezra” was bowing to and greeting Miss Mary.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>Ezra was very hungry, and soon commenced to eat -up the peaches, when a little darkey about three -years old whom Sam’l said was his grandchild, looked -into the basket and said something that probably -meant to ask for peaches. Whereupon Ezra said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Do de chile talk, Brer Sam?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brer Sam’l said, “Well, I kyant tell ezactly; he -mecks de sounds, but kyant fo’m de wuds yit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then with timidity and a trembling voice he asked -Sam’l for Mars Matthew and Miss Mary. Sam’l said, -“Losin’ he good an’ faithful serbents dat wuz ’swaded -’way, seein’ de lawn kivvered all de time wid twigs -an’ leabes, ev’ything goin’ ter wase, young Mars Matthew -gittin’ kilt at Petersbu’g, ’stressed him so pow’ful -dat he got so he cudn’ recommember anything; fuh instinct, -he wud fogit de tex’ befo’ he lef’ de chuch; he -almos’ fogot his A B C’s; den ergin, he wuz eighty -years ole, an’ den he died. Mistis ’structed Pawson -Phil Demby, John Poney, Damon Danridge, Rasmus -Jemes an’ mehsef ter meck de toom. She wudn’ hab -nobody else, an’ you kyant ’magine how fine it look.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ezzy, sence you bin ’way we has had uh gre’t -preacher at Zion Chuch, an’ we hab all got erligion an’ -tu’n Presbyters; de shirks wuz so bad we had ter gib -up de Babtis’ erligion. Jes’ let me git annerr barsket -ub peaches, Ezzy, an’ den I’ll go up an’ tell Ole Mistis -you’r heah, an’ she will sho’ly see you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Whilst Sam’l was gone, Ezra thought of the straw -stacks he used to climb and slide down, how his young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>Marster, killed at Petersburg, used to drive Rasmus, -Saul, Little Billy and himself tandem, all harnessed -up with sweet potato vines, and prancing with sheep-rib -bits in their mouths like colts. And then he recalled -the colts he broke, gazed upon the river where -he used to wade the hunting horses along the beach -to wash and tone up their legs; then he thought of -his brother, Little Billy, his coon dog, Jasper, and of -his boat, and wondered where they all were. He -wiped his eyes, took a chew of tobacco, when his -crowded thoughts were diverted by Sam’l’s return. So -by and by Ezra was bowing to and greeting his “Ole -Mistis.” Thinking to condole with her and leave the -impression that he always thought his Marster of -sound mind, he said, “Miss Mary, people use ter say -dat Mars Matthew wuz rash-nal, but I nebber did -think Mars Matthew wuz rash-nal.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old lady could scarcely repress a smile, and -told Ezra the quarter where he was born and lived -(on Heart’s Cove, a beautiful sheet of water near the -homestead and an arm of Miles River) should be -renovated and made comfortable as his home, and -all that she required of him in his declining years -was to keep her in oysters, fish and crabs, an easy -task and eminently to the taste of Ezra.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_184f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARS ARTHUR.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>In a few days, helped by his young Marster Arthur, -Ezra was comfortably domiciled in his quarter on -Heart’s Cove, and was very happy. He wished he -had ridden Pigeon home instead of giving her away; -he missed her so. He did not seem to worry about -his wife the war had separated from him. One day -whilst he was chinking and fixing up his boat, which -old Sam’l had taken good care of, and singing -lustily—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“When Israel wuz in Egyp’ lan’;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Oppress’d so hyard dey cud not stan’;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Go down Moses, way down in Egyp’ lan’;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Tell ole Phario,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go”—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>his young Marster Arthur, a lad of 15, who had already -grown fond of him, and found him always entertaining, -took a seat near him, asked him some questions -about the South and if he saw anything of the -war.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who, me? Mars Bedford wuz wid <i>me</i> an’ we fit -mo’n uh hunard battles, I specks, skirmages an’ all.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who do you mean by Mars Bedford?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, Gen’l Forrest; de gre’tes’ warrior dat ebber -libbed. Yo’ Pa sole me ter him. He wuz jes’ Mistah -Forrest dem days, an’ wuz uh private de fus’ ub de -wah; think ub dat! Well, when de wah broke out he -tuck me fuh one ub his bodyguard; dat is, ter guard -his body an’ keep dem blue coats ’way. He had uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>hunard an’ fifty men in his bodyguard, an’ I wuz rite -’side him, his serbent an’ waitah—an’ mo’n dat, wid -him night an’ day, ceppin in de battle; den I al’ays -hilt his hoss when he fight on foot. You see when -de battle ’tall ornsartin he meck dat bodyguard git -of’n deah bosses an’ he draw dat big swo’d ub his’n -an’ say, ‘Foller me,’ an’ ’mejately de blue coats see -Mars Bedford an’ dat long swo’d ub his’n, dey sho’ ter -run, don’ meck no difference ef’n dey ez thick ez grasshoppus. -Some people say he cud look like uh goblin -an’ tu’n inter uh sperrit in uh han’-ter-han’ fight; once -uh week he sharpen his swo’d same ez uh raiser, an’ -arfter his brudder got kilt (nebba saw uh man cry -so in meh life) he sharpen dat swo’d ev’y day an’ he -say, ‘Ef’n dey don’ s’render arfter I say s’render, I’ll -cut de haids of’n ev’y one I gits close ’nuff ter,’ and -he did it, too.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, Ezra!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Young Marster, I hab seed too much sufferin’ an’ -too much sorrow ter meck fun ub it; mo’n dat, I’m -gittin’ ter be uh ole man, an’ I wan’ meh heb’nly -Marster’s lub; so what I am tellin’ you is de truf. I -will cross meh hyart an’ bref uh thousan’ times ef’n -you wan’ me ter.’ Then he was contemplative for a -moment, when he resumed chinking his boat and singing—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>“Oh, cum ’long Moses, you’ll not git los’;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Stritch out yo’ rod an’ cum ercross;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Stop singing, Uncle Ezzy, and go on with your -story.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jes’ think ub dat chile callin’ me uncle. I’s -gwine ter teck him fishinin’ ev’y day wid me, an’ sorf -crabbin’, too, when I gits dis boat fix’. He is de ve’y -spit ub Ole Mars. Well, young Marster, I wo’ uh -gray nuniform, an’ rode de bes’ mule in de Souf, name -Pigeon. Some wha erboutin Chrismus, 1862, close -ter Lexington, Tenn., uh gre’t big kunnel s’rendered -ter Mars Bedford. He wuz almos’ skeered stiff, -trem’lin’ like uh aspine leaf, but when Mars Bedford -say, smilin’, ‘You fellows didn’ meck much ub uh -fight,’ it gib dat kunnel condidence, an’ rite ’way he -look peart an’ say, ‘Gen’l, won’ you please exchange -me soon?’ An’ Mars Bedford say, ‘Yas; go an’ git -me de bes’ mule in yo’ cumman’, an’ I’ll exchange -you fuh de mule.’ Dat’s how I got Pigeon. Befo’ -dat I had uh wufless, lazy hoss, an’ Mars Bedford -wanted ev’ything lively ’roun’ him. Den ergin, I -carried uh coffeepot, jes’ big ’nuff fuh <i>me</i> and Mars -Bedford, sugah, coffee, hard-tack, blackin’, blackin’ -brush, soap an’ towels, an’ sich like. De Gen’l tied -strings ’roun’ de bottoms ub uh heavy par ub canvas -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>pants, an’ I stuffed deah legs full, tell dey jes’ strut -out; den I put dem straddle Pigeon’s back an’ tied -’em ter de saddle so ef’n de amblabus wuz behin’ I -had ’nuff perwissions fuh Mars Bedford an’ me tell -de amblabus cum up. Pigeon, she al’ays kep’ up. De -mammy ub dat mule mus’ uh bin uh thurrybred, she -wuz al’ays peart an’ fresh; de fac’ is, da wan’ much -jackass erbout huh; she nebber blowed huh trumpet -’ceppin she horngry. When I got ev’ything on meh -ahmy saddle, front an’ back, de pack wuz erbout up -ter meh shoulders when I sot in de saddle, but den -ergin, it didn’ pester me, kase I wuz almos’ settin’ in -uh bungproof.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Pigeon wuz ve’y feard ub watah (da sut’ny wuz no -Babtis’ blood in huh) an’ dat mecks me think ub what -dey call de Streight raid. It wuz in April, 1863. -Mars Bedford had been fightin’ consonly fuh days, -an’ de hosses an’ men hadn’ slep’ fuh two nights, ’ceppin -in de saddle, an’ had nuffin ter eat. Mars Bedford -picked up uh box ub crackers, put dem in his amblabus -an’ divided ’em wid his men. Da wan’ uh -thing in meh pants legs futto eat, ’twuz ’zausted. -Befo’ tryin’ ter cross what dey call Black Creek de -Gen’l made uh speech ter his men, callin’ fuh all dat -wuz willin’ ter cross; all ’sponded ’ceppin de men -asleep in deah saddles, <i>an’ I wuz one ub ’em</i>. Gen’l -Streight wuz retretin’ jes’ ez fars’ ez he cud, an’ cross -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>ober an’ bu’nt de bridge ober Black Creek. De creek -wuz muddy, swollen, deep an’ dangersome. Mars -Bedford wuz meddotatin’ how ter cross, an’ de sharpshooters -wuz firin’ fum de udder side. Seberal ladies -walked up, an’ one ub ’em erbout sebenteen year ole, -say, ‘Whose cumman’ is dis?’ an’ somebody said, ‘De -advance ub Gen’l Forrest’s cavelry.’ She wuz all -stirred up, an’ she say, ‘Pint Gen’l Forrest out,’ an’ -when dey pinted him out she made such uh curchysy -she mos’ swep’ de groun’, wiped wid huh ap’on de -pusspuration fum huh face and said, ‘Dear Gen’l Forrest -an’ brabe soldiers, I know ub an ole ford neah -heah, erboutin uh harf mile ’way, an’ ef’n I had uh -mount I cud teck you rite ter de ford. We hab no -hosses; dem blue coats teck ’em all. De way is th’oo -briars an’ fallen trees an’ drif’wood an’ sich like. I -kyant walk well in it.’ Den Mars Bedford say, ‘I -will put you up behin’ me, my chile.’ Then huh ma -say, ‘No! No! meh daughter; you mout git kilt, an’ -you is meh only yew lam’.’ Den Mars Bedford say, -drappin’ dem sorf eyes ub his’n on huh an’ lookin’ ez -fine ez uh cherrypin er serrypin, ‘Git up behin’ me -fum dis fallen tree.’ Den huh mudda almos’ hab -spavins, but she clum up on dat hoss. Mars Bedford -call fuh uh scout an’ ’way he went. Ub cose I wuz -wid him; jumpin’ logs, tearin’ up de briars an’ weeds. -Arfter dey had gone boutin uh harf mile, Miss Emma, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>dat wuz huh name, say, ‘Stop, Gen’l Forrest, dis heah -ravine runs down ter dat ford an’ de ford runs dis -way: <span class='large'><b>></b></span> .’ Den dey got off an’ walked ter de -ribba, but de watah wuz so high an’ so muddy dey -cudn’ see de ford; but she say, ‘It’s bin heah ev’y -sence I wuz uh baby. I know almos’ ev’y rock in it -an’ ezac’ly wha it is.’ Den I heah bang! bang! bang! -and den erboutin fo’ty bangs, an’ heah cum de bullets. -I wuz peepin’ wid Pigeon fum behin’ uh big rock. -<i>Oh, I wuz al’ays wid him.</i> Den I heah Miss Emma -say, ‘Gen’l stan’ behin’ me; dey won’ shoot me.’ Mars -Bedford say, ‘Git behin’ dat rock an’ stay da tell I -cum fuh you.’ Den Mars Bedford teck out his spyglass -an’ spied all ’roun’ an’ he heah some twigs -crackin’ behin’ him, an’ he looked ’roun’, an’ da wuz -dat chile almos’ in his footprints. De Gen’l’s eyes almos’ -spit fire, an’ his mouf trimbled. Den he say, -jes’ like he orderin’ uh charge, ‘Stay behin’ dat rock!’ -Den she say, ‘Gen’l, I wuz fear’d you mout be wounded, -an’ I wanted ter be neah you.’ Den he sot down -befo’ de rock—me an’ Pigeon wuz behin’—tu’n’d his -sorf eyes up ter de sky an’ say, ’<i>De worl’ kyant whup -us wid sech women!</i>’<a id='r18' /><a href='#f18' class='c012'><sup>[18]</sup></a> Pres’ny he holped huh up de -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>ravine—all de time de sharpshooters wuz firin’, an’ -some ub de balls wen’ th’oo huh dress—an’ when she -got up de ravine she say, ‘Dey jes’ wounded meh -crin’line!’ an’ she tuck orf huh sunbonnet an’ shuck -it at ’em. Gen’l Forrest sant her back ter tell de res’ -ub de cumman’ ter cum, artil’ry fus’. Almos’ befo’ -dey got ter de ford dey limbered up, fired uh few -bung-shots, an’ dem blue coats soon lef’ dat ford. -Den Mars Bedford tole one ub his officers ter teck uh -regiment an’ hole dat ford, and dey hilt it. Ev’ything -wuz ready, an’ Mars Bedford started erhaid -ober de ford, when Miss Emma call him back, almos’ -cryin’, and she say, ‘You’r gwine ’rong; you see de -ford run dis way: <span class='large'><b>></b></span> .’ Den she clum er rock -an’ say, ‘Lemmy git up in front ub you an’ show de -way.’ De Gen’l say, ‘No; git up behin’; dey mout -shoot you.’ An’ she say, ‘No; I mus’ ride in front, -hab de reins, so dat I meck no mustake.’ Den Mars -Bedford teck orf his nuniform coat, fold an’ put it in -front ub him, den he teck orf his felt hat an’ put it -on de coat, an’ she jump on jes’ ez spry ez uh colt, an’ -he say ter his soldiers, ‘Follow me.’ His scout, Mars -Torm, wuz one ub de fus’ ter follow. Mars Bedford -stop his hoss an’ say, ‘You kyant go; yo’ ahm is badly -shot an’ broken; you is not fit ter fight er swim.’ So -den he wuz orf ergin. De hosses wuz neighin’, de -creek wuz twissin’, rum’lin’ an’ tum’lin’, de hosses -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>stoppin’, stum’lin’, an’ backin’ jes’ de same ez ef’n -’twuz dark. I cudn’ say nuffin but meh prayers, -an’ I mos’ choke sayin’ dem. Mo’n dat, Pigeon she -wuz carryin’ on high, jes scan’lus; wudn’ eben put -huh feet in de watah. De watah wuz so high dey -had ter teck de caissions orf, an’ de soldiers waded wid -de powder on deah shoulders. It tuck two hours ter -cross, but bless Gord, dey all got ober. Befo’ dey got -harf way ’cross Mrs. Sanson, Miss Emma’s mudda, wuz -at de ford, an’ she wuz almos’ ’zausted fum walkin’ -th’oo de briars an’ tangled bushes.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_190f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MISS EMMA. DAT WUZ HUH NAME.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra commenced again to chink his boat, singing—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“You’ll not git los’ in de wilderness;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>Wid uh lighted can’le in yo’ bres’;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Let meh people go.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Arthur was by this time intensely interested, and -after Ezra had bitten off a fresh chew of tobacco, said, -“Well, what then?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, den Mars Bedford rode back wid Miss Emma, -got orf his hoss, tuck her down—I nebba saw him -so ’cited an’ hainsome. Den he mounted, tuck orf -his hat, kissed his han’, jes’ so, an’ soon he wuz dashin’ -up de hill ter jine his troops. Mars Torm, po’ feller, -did look so ’stressed ter be lef’ behin’.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“When Mars Bedford wan’ talkin’ his eyes jes’ ez -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>sorf ez uh ’possum’s, but when he wuz serioussum an’ -opened his mouf, da wan’ no apples in his eyes, nuffin -but fire, an’ when he tole his favorite scout, Mars -Torm, ter stay back, he jes’ tuck root on dat spot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He wuz uh ve’y curisome man; fuh instinc’, he -had uh swo’d made jes’ futto suit hissef. It wan’ -quite ez long ez uh fence-rail, but mos’ nighly; you -wudn’ think he wud cut blue coats haids orf but he -wud. It’s so curisome—he wuz so gentle an’ he talk -so sorf, but den ergin his eyes, when he on uh scout er -charge, jes’ like uh fish-hawk’s. How-some-ebba, I -once heah ole Mars Nickey say uh race hoss dat -prances an’ bucks an’ goes ev’y which way at de pos’—jes’ -like uh dug-out in rough watah—ain’ no race -hoss; dey th’ow up deah tails befo’ dey go two miles. -But de nice quiet ones like de fo-mile hosses Mars -Matthew use ter own, when dey at de pos’ you’d s’pose -dey habin’ deah pictur taken. Well, Mars Bedford -wuz sho’ly uh fo’-miler in his ways, an’ he al’ays had -his way, too.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mrs. Sanson inwited Mars Torm ter meck huh -house his home tell he git well; mo’n dat, she spressify -huhsef dat she al’ays lubbed ter nuss Cornfederates. -Den she look at Pigeon an’ me an’ say, ‘I kin teck -good care ub you, too, an’ yo’ mule. Peter, Simon an’ -Nancy is ve’y ole, so you kin holp ’em ter milk de -cows, chu’n de butter an’ pick de strawberries. Young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>Marster, I stayed da fuh two weeks, until de watah -fell in Black Creek. I got fat, so did Pigeon, an’ den -I crossed de creek an’ jined Mars Bedford.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“’Twuz jes’ erboutin harves’ time;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go;</div> - <div class='line'>When Joshua led his hos’ divine;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Let meh people go.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, go on, Uncle Ezzy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, in erboutin free monfs Mars Torm, de scout, -jined us. He looked fat an’ slick, an’ Gen’l Forrest -lubbed an’ ’spected him so he kissed him. He didn’ -kiss me, but I wud uh kissed him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Between you and me, kind reader, after greeting -General Forrest, “Mars Torm” hurried to his humble -hammock. His thoughts were more of “Black -Creek” than the tented field. From a pocket in his -gray jacket he pulled out and fondly kissed a daguerreotype. -When he opened it a pressed rose leaf fell -out. It may have been the rose leaf which a dear -kind hand had placed between the pages she loved to -read to him, and the mate to the one he had. He -sank into his hammock, and the tranquil twilight saw -him weeping, and then reciting:</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_194f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>MARS TORM.<br /><br />(From a time-worn photograph.)<br /><br />His thoughts were more of “Black Creek” than the tented field.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>“Between two songs of Petrarch,</div> - <div class='line in4'>I’ve a purple rose leaf prest,</div> - <div class='line'>More sweet than common rose leaves,</div> - <div class='line in4'>For it once lay in her breast.</div> - <div class='line'>When she gave me that her eyes were wet,</div> - <div class='line in4'>The rose was full of dew;</div> - <div class='line'>The rose is withered long ago—</div> - <div class='line in4'>The page is blistered, too.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“One night we sat below the porch,</div> - <div class='line in4'>And out in that warm air,</div> - <div class='line in2'>A firefly, like a dying star,</div> - <div class='line in4'>Fell tangled in her hair;</div> - <div class='line'>But I kissed him lightly off again,</div> - <div class='line in4'>And he glittered up the vine,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And died into the darkness——”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>A bugle sounded. Forrest was in the saddle. The -scout’s reverie was over.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, de nex’ big fight wuz at what dey call -‘Brice’s Cross Roads;’ dat’s de place Mars Bedford -had uh spavin [fainted] fuh one hour. I fanned him -consonly wid meh hat; he had de gre’tes’ condidence -in me. At uh place call ‘Ripley’, a few days befo’ -dis fight, uh farmer sant what dey call in Mississippi, -mountain oysters ter Mars Bedford. Dey ain’ nuffin -ter Eastern Sho’ oysters; some people say dat Mars -Bedford eat too many an’ dey gib him de spavin, but -I know dat ain’ so. I wuz waitin’ on de table an’ -stan’in’ rite behin’ him, an’ arfter helpin’ Gen’l Beauford -an’ Gen’l Rucker he stir dat soup fuh mo’n five -minutes befo’ uh mountain oyster cum on top. Den -I say, ‘Dar’s one, Marster,’ an’ he tu’n an’ gimmy uh -look wid dem eagle eyes ub his’n dat meck me trimble. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>I know what meck him sick, an’ I’m gwine ter tell -you. De fightin’ wuz so furisome dat Gen’l Forrest -say ter his bodyguard, ‘Dismount; draw yo’ swo’ds -an’ foller me,’ an’ when de blue coats seed Mars Bedford, -’way dey went. Well, he had so few men ’long -side de blue coats, dat not uh man cud be spared ter -go an’ git watah, so Mars Bedford felt so thusty an’ -weary dat he drunk de powder watah fum de sponge -bucket, an’ dat’s what gib him dat spavin.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Honey, you ain’ but fifteen years ole, so Brer -Sam’l say, an’ ef’n I wuz ter tell you how many wuz -kilt an’ wounded in dat fight it might meck you see -ghoses an’ witches in yo’ sleep, an’ keep you fum -growin’. I hilt Gen’l Forrest’s hoss, Pigeon an’ two -other hosses when he dismounted, an’ ’pears ter me de -hosses looked ’stressed, da wuz so many kilt on bof -sides. Now, dat’s all I’m gwine ter tell you erboutin -battles.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Young Marster, chillun musn’ know too much. -Fuh instinct, yistiddy I wuz chinkin’ dis boat (an’ I -gwine ter name huh Miss Emma) when Mars Jimmy’s -chillun cum erlong gwine home fum school; dey clum -all ober me, an’ pres’ny one ub ’em say, ‘Uncle Ezzy, -what is uh vulgar fraction?’ Ub cose, I had ter tell -de truf, so I say, ‘Hit’s somethin’ little boys an’ girls -musn’ talk erbout.’</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_196f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>Uncle Ezzy, what is a vulgar fraction?<br /><br />Ub cose, I had ter tell de truf, so I say hit’s somethin’ little boys an’ girls mus’n’ talk erbout.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>“In May, 1865, we all s’rendered at Gainesville, -Alabama. Mars Bedford gib me Pigeon an’ money -ter cum home wid ef’n I wanted ter. Fuh fo’ days -I hunted ’roun’ Gainesville ’mong de troops futto fine -Mars Torm. I knew’d he lib near Rome, Georgia, -an’, ub cose, he had ter ride de same road I did, so I -wanted him ter let me ride ez far ez Mrs. Sanson’s -wid him. Dem sweet people wuz so kine ter me I -wuz gwine ter gib ’em Pigeon; mo’n dat, I wuz feard -ter ride by mebsef in uh gray nuniform fum Gainesville -ter Black Creek, erboutin two hunard miles. -How-some-ebba, I ’cluded ter ride jes’ at night, an’ -bless Gord, in erbout uh week I struck Black Creek -ford horngry an’ tired. De birds wuz singin’, roostus -crowin’, hens uh cacklin’ an’ de watah in de creek -ez clear ez uh jewdrap, an’ Pigeon she jes’ nach’ly -went in de watah kase she seed Mrs. Sanson’s house—wuz -horngry an’ ve’y tired. I wuzn’ watchin’ de -mule, an’ de fus’ thing I knewed Pigeon gib uh monstus -buck an’ mos’ jumped of’n de ford in dat deep -watah; den she tuck uh good look wid huh ears an’ -went ’long—-an’ what you s’pose frighten’d dat mule? -He! he! he! he! dar sot on uh plank ’tween two rocks -Mars Torm (no wunna I cudn’ fine him) an’ Miss -Emma fishin’ in de deep watah at de foot ub de ford. -I meck bleebe I didn’ see ’em, <i>an’ dey sut’ny didn’ -see me</i>; you see dey wuz fishin’. When I got ’cross -de ford, Pigeon wuz so tired she stop an’ res’, an’ I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>watch to see ef’n de fish bitin’, kase I wuz al’ays fond -ub fishin’, and I heah Mars Torm say, in words ez sorf -ez dem riffles, ‘I lub dis creek; de watah so repose, an’ -cums twissin’ in dis big pool gittin’ stiller an’ stiller -tell it seems ter stop, res’ an’ be so happy. Oh, ef’n -meh hyart wuz ez happy ez dis stream! It chatters, -an’ sings, an’ smiles, an’ baves itself in de sunlight; it -looks so contented, but I am so sad’—an’ he did look -rejected. Den Miss Emma open huh cherrypin mouf -an’ say raal sorf, ‘What’s de mattah; yo’ ole woun’ -hurt you?’ An’ he say, ‘No; it’s de new woun’; I -mus’ leabe ter-morrow, so I mus’ tell you dat yo’ -sweet eyes, lubly hyart, beautiful, brabe soul has -’chanted me ev’y sence I fus’ saw you, an’ I wan’ ter -arsk befo’ I go, dear Miss Emma, dat you will let me -lub you. I don’ arsk you ter lub me.’ Jes’ de way I -use ter cote—He! He! He! ’ceppin I use ter say:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Roses red, wiolets blue,</div> - <div class='line'>Sugah sweet, me too.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>“Den Mars Torm spressify, ‘Fuh free monfs, dear -hyart, I et yo’ bread an’ butter’—an’ I think he say -mullasses—‘an’ ter-morrow I go ter seek meh fortune, -an’ ef’n Gord prospers me, I shall arsk you to meck -meh life ’chanted.’ Den she say, ez sorf ez de note -ub uh <i>martingale</i>, ‘Thormas.’ Den he say, ‘Angel, -did you say Thormas?’ An’ she say, ‘Yes; meh brabe -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>an’ gentle’—an’ rite ’way ’pears ter me dey bof had -on dat big sunbonnet ub her’n; an’ wussa yit, de two -fishin’ rods wid deah reels wuz floatin’ down dat ribba, -ober an’ ober de riffles. Dey wuz fogot when dem -two chillun said yes ter one nerr.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, ’pears ter me all ub uh sudden I got so -sleepy dat I put meh ahms ’roun’ Pigeon’s neck (she -wuz use ter dat) an’ went ter sleep. Bimeby I woke -up wid uh curisome an’ mos’ quaresome feelin’. Bless -de Lawd, I tho’t uh jack-uh-ma-lantern had got me, -sho’. Dem chilluns wuz feelin’ so peart an’ sassy dat -dey tied erroun’ meh neck uh live eel dey had kotch, -an’ I wudn’ fogit er fogib ’em ter dis day ’ceppin dey -wuz in lub an’ I wuz uh lissinin.’ Honey, I wuz -skeard stiff. Bung shells wuz nuffin ter dat.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dey wuz all so kin’ at Mrs. Sanson’s (de Lawd -bless dem people) I stayed dar two weeks res’in’, an’ -den dey sent me ter Rome, Georgy, futto teck de train -fuh ‘Fairlands.’ When I got in de kerridge ’long -side Simon, Miss Emma say, ‘Dear me, Ezra, what is -you gwine ter do wid Pigeon?’ So I say, larffin’ an’ -sassy like, ‘I gib huh ter you, Miss Emma, an’ Mars -Torm, fuh uh weddin’ present.’ Mars Thormas smile -an’ say, ‘You scan’lus ole scamp.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>In his narrative dear old Ezra showed wonderful -memory, but forgot to mention that in that hour of -anguish, whilst crossing Black Creek, as the waters -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>got deeper and deeper, finally up to the flanks of the -horses, Mrs. Sanson sank upon her knees and with -wrinkled, aged and uplifted hands, said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“From lightning and tempest, from plague, pestilence -and famine, from battle and murder, and from -sudden death.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“<i>Good Lord deliver us.</i>”</p> - -<p class='c014'>Early in the spring of 1866 Ezzy frequently paddled -his canoe over to “Woodstock,” where in a cabin -on the riverside lived Jerry and Ceasar Butler, old -bachelor brothers. Their sister Cassey, a widow of -some six months, was their guest. The brothers for -the most part lived out on the water, oystering, fishing -and crabbing. Cassey liked her surroundings so -much that her visit was now three months long, and -she interested herself mostly in raising chickens and -ducks. The dusky damsels in the neighborhood said -Cassey was going to marry Brer Snake Bit Jim, a -hand on Captain Stitchberry’s schooner, the “Margaret -Jane,” and he had been keeping company, as they -expressed it, with her for about five months. She -was the loudest singer in Zion church, a <i>wholesale</i> -Baptist, and walked in the water like a pious one when -immersion time came, and some uncharitable people -said that when she came home from meeting chickens -had better roost high. Though twenty years younger -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>than Ezra, his war stories and adventures charmed -her. She thought him a hero and soon they were betrothed. -Ezra was not one of the slow-paced sort.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra’s young Marster was very much annoyed at -the idea of his marrying Cassey. He knew her to be -self-willed and high tempered, and told Ezra that if -he brought her to Fairlands he would charge him $25 -a year for his quarter and ten acres; but Ezra was too -fond of telling war tales and having a listener that almost -smothered him with caresses when he told of -hair-breadth escapes. So one bright May day Parson -Phil Demby pronounced them man and wife—his -third wife.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra made a living crabbing, fishing, oystering and -cultivating a little grain. He was an expert angler, -and if a dinner was given by any of the gentry between -May and November and a boiling rock wanted, -Ezra was notified and he would be sure to catch the -rock. He loved children and children loved him. If -the overseers’ little ones wanted to go fishing, they -would go to the garden and in sight of him commence -to dig worms and when they reached the bateau, he -would be there bailing or shoving her from shore. -Soon he would add sufficient peelers and soft crabs to -the bate, and then to the hurdle. Ezra’s pole, some -eighteen feet long, was of cedar growth, with the bark -stripped off; a coarse line and cork about the size of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>duck egg, and when he gave a grunt and slashed it -out, the water almost surged; but somehow or other, -the fish, and good ones, too, loved his bait. “Ef’n -you chilluns don’ stop er talkin’ an’ rockin’ dis boat -I’ll paddle straight home. You pester de fish so dey -won’ bite, an’ hit ’stresses me pow’ful.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Autumn came and he did not find his quarter as -happy as formerly. As a consequence, he spent a -great deal of his time at the mansion. Even the solemn -and sour old maiden housekeeper, Miss Betsy, -whose apron strings were strung with keys and who -for forty years had lived at Fairlands, was indulgent, -and welcomed him. One day I came upon him cleaning -her bird cage and singing over and over:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Tell me a dream, M-a-r-y,</div> - <div class='line'>Tell me a dream;</div> - <div class='line'>My Lawd, de King ub Manuel.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>I said, “Why don’t those canaries lay?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Miss Betsy say dey bof boys,” was his reply.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The cook liked him, and he liked her more than he -did Cassey. He often toted for her baskets of chips -to make the fire burn brightly, put on the big back -logs, and turned the turkey in the tin kitchen. Twice -a week on winter nights he was sent for to beat the -hominy in the big mortar. When he grew weary of -the iron pestle, and wanted to chaff some servant, he -would say, “I sut’ny does lub ter beat dis hominy—a—heh—heh—heh,” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>and then we boys would “spell” -him and he would praise our industry until we nearly -collapsed from fatigue.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“O, call back yesterday; bid time return.”</p> - -<p class='c014'>He had a local reputation for his original sayings -and deserved it. For example: “You kyant eat uh -hoecake but once;” “All moufs mus’ eat, but all -moufs kyant eat gravel;” “Ev’y man’s mouf ain’ uh -prayer book;” “Uh case orntried is hyard ter justify;” -etc., but from being chaffed by the young men at the -“Royal Oak” and St. Michaels, towns near by, where -he sold his crabs and fish, and bought fishhooks and -tobacco, had become somewhat shy and reticent.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One cold and windy day in December I started for -Wild Goose Marsh, famous as snipe ground, with the -view of burning the same. So to fully enjoy Ezra’s -confidence and to get him to talk freely, I put a half-dollar -in his hand, invited him to stop shucking oysters -and go with me to the marsh and assist in burning -the same. His young Marster’s pointers, “Rob Roy” -and “Rose,” whom he had adopted and who had -adopted him, were lying in his boat. He expatiated -a few moments upon the “quaresomeness ub snipe an’ -jack-uh-ma-lanterns,” and then got in my carriage. -Meantime I was taking in his raiment. He said, “I’m -not dress up, kase I’m shuckin’ oysters.” He wore -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>an old dressing gown some one had given him in the -long ago. It must have had twenty patches from the -size of a blacking box up to a tin plate. His vest, -from patches, was of many colors; it was fastened with -seven buttons, and no two of them alike. One foot -was shod, and the other wrapped in an old piece of -carpet. “Meh cawns hu’t me so,” he said. He was -smaller and more bent than ever, and extremely interesting. -A drink of applejack and a good lunch, the -brilliancy of the burning marsh and my interest in -him made him very loquacious. With apparent earnestness -I said, “Uncle Ezra, how long have you lived -on this estate?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who, me! Bawn heah erboutin uh hunard year -ago. I cum outin de Hollyday fambly. Ole Mars’ -grabe is ober dar wha you see dem willows weepin’. -Dar’s uh gre’t big slab ober de grabe, an’ on hit is uh -passel ub A. B. C.’s an’ uh anker, wid stars an’ eagles -an’ little grapevines all erroun’ ’em. Mars Pinckney -say, ‘Dat’s what dey call in dem days de coat ub mail.’ -His wuz uh gre’t fambly, an’ Mars Thormas wuz uh -cap’n an’ fit an’ wuz kilt in de Resolutionary Wah.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Are you sure of that, Uncle Ezzy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“’Cose I is. I heah Phil Demby’s fadda say dat -he holp ter put him in de amblabus when he wuz shot. -He saw de British what shot him, an’ de ve’y bungshot -dat hit him. Boss, what glorisome days dem -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>wuz. I kin recommember ’em mehsef. Dese days -’pears ter me dey is spilin’ ev’ything by changin’. An’ -hits ergin de Scripturs. Fuh instinct, when I wuz uh -young man de Mefodis’ ’roun’ heah use ter hab what -dey call meetin’ houses; dey use ter shout an’ moan, -an’ moan an’ shout pow’ful. Dey cummence ter pray -at fus’ sorf, an’ den deah voice got so strong toreckly -you cud heah ’em uh mile orf. An’ de chunes wuz -so fine, dey didn’ stop at de corners; dey jes’ swong -’roun’; dey cud turn deah voices same ez uh whirl-win’ -an’ ter play de fiddle, dance, er hab uh melojin -wuz cornsidered ornry an’ onricheous, an’ hit wuz, too. -But in dese days ev’ything is changed in all de -chuches, ’ceppin de Babtis’; de only change de Babtis’ -made is ter babtize regular in fresh watah in Cap’n -Tomlinson’s mill pon’, <i>’ceppin jes’ befo’ dey cut ice</i>. -You see dey had ter gib up salt watah, de shirks wuz -so bad. Mo’n dat, de Bible don’ spressify salt watah. -Den ergin Pawson Demby tuck de shirk fright an’ -de consequasion wuz he hilt several pussons down too -long. Tilly Mink got erligion an’ wuz thinkin’ -boutin it so much (jes’ persidderin hit all de time) dat -she fogot ter teck outin her dress some apples dat -wuz swotuated in huh pocket. Well, Pawson Demby -hilt her un’er so long dat she pawed de bottom; almos’ -tore huh dress orf, an’ she mout erbin hilt un’er de -watah tell she wuz drowned, but she got holt Pawson -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>Demby’s legs, an’ fuh erwhile it ’peared like she wuz -babtizin’ him. Brer Billy los’ his specks lars’ spring, -so cudn’ see good, an’ when he seed de apples uh bobbin’ -up, I s’pose he tho’t dey wuz sperrits, kase he sung -out ter Pawson Demby, ‘Jes’ gib huh annubba dip, -Pawson Demby, huh sins is cummin’ up fum huh in -clustahs;’ but Pawson Demby lef’ well ernuff be well -ernuff. Kase Tilly Mink nebba did hab much erligion, -an’ when she seed dat distructed frock an’ dem -kyart-house apples dat we all knew’d growed in Ole -Mars’ archard, huh ’ligion lef’ huh jes’ ez fars ez she -got it. Huh hyah riz on huh haid, an’ she talked jes’ -scan’lous, an’ ’lowed she gwine ter jine de Presbyters. -Well, hit may be fuh de bes’, but uh case orntried is -hyard ter jestify.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yas, sah; ev’ything is changed. Ebin Mefodis’ -preachers an’ de elders, shuh. Dey struts an’ prances -erroun’ same ez colts an’ tukkey gobblers in de spring, -an’ hits dribin uh lot ub ’em ter distruction. All -moufs ain’ prayer books, boss. Hit’s de same thing -wid dem Presbyters dat Tillie’s gwine ter jine, an’ -when it cums ter de ’Piscopaliums hit’s wussa yit. Up -heah at St. Thormasses dey bu’n insects in what dey -call uh—I fogit de name—an’ dem preachers dat -kyant talk good—an’ mos’ ub ’em kyant—dey sorter -sing what dey talkin’. I heah Cap’n Stitchberry’s -brer say who halls de sain—an’, ub cose, he er Babtis’—dat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>ef’n Ole Mars wuz erlive an’ went ter St. -Thormasses, he wudn’ no wha he wuz, kase dey bows -like uh passel ub muscovy drakes. Boss, dem muscoves -is quaresome ducks. T’other day I saw Brer -Sam’s boy, Rasmus, bowin’ ter uh passel ub muscovy -drakes an’ dey wuz bowin’ ter him. So I say ter de -boy, ‘What you doin’ ter dem ducks?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Talkin’ drake talk.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘Well, what de ducks say?’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘I dunno, but <i>dey</i> do!’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“All dis changin’ business is ergin de Bible, too. -Lars’ Sunday Pawson Demby preached erbout hit. -His tex’ wuz fum de Profit Jerry-Myah: ‘Kin uh -Ethiopium change his skin er uh leopard his spots?’ -An’ Pawson Demby say ’twuz ornpossible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jes’ befo’ Chrismus I went ter Easton wid uh load -ub Chrismus trees, an’ one ub de fus’ things I seed -wuz uh lubly lookin’ young Mistis dribin uh cullud -pusson; he wuz uh settin’ behin’ huh wid his ahms -folded, all dress up an’ smilin’ same ez uh ole gray -goose smilin’ on uh gander. Well, I nebba ’spected -ter lib ter see uh change like dat. Fac’ is, mos’ all -de ladies ’roun’ heah gittin’ changed, an’ ve’y sassy, -tryin’ ter be like de men. Fuh instinct, dar is uh -lady doctor an’ uh lady lawyer, dey tells me, in -Balt’mo’. Think ub dat! An’ hit’s all ergin de’ structions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>ub Gen’sis, Rebullation, Jerry-Myah, Noahy an’ -I ’specks all ub de profits. Kase de Bible say dat -’ooman kyant ebin pray in publuc. Boss, da ain’ no -use talkin’, fum de cricket an’ grasshopper clean up -ter man, de male de gre’tes’ an’ bes’ lookin’. Dar’s -uh little Jinny Wren settin’ on dat reed singin’ -beau’ful. Now, ain’ hit s’prisin’ wha he git dat voice -fum dat you kin heah ’cross de ribba; hit sut’ny is -strange. Well, dat he wren, don’ he look peart; an’ -he is peart, too. He kin meck uh hawk hide hissef. -You see he’s de male. Well, look at dat cock sparrow; -don’ de hen look meek ’long side him? Boss, -I’m gwine ter teck mos’ ev’ything dat wuz in de yark, -ter show dat ladies musn’ try ter be men, an’ change -deahsebs. Hit kyant be did any mo’ dan you kin -gib de female birds de feathers ub de males. I s’pose -de bobolink is de mos’ dress up ub all birds, fuh he -changes his clothes twice uh yeah, an’ when he got -on dat beau’ful spring suit ub his’n his wives do -clustah erroun’ him. De cock partridge (some people -call ’em Bob White), de oriole, pigeon, teal duck, -tukkey, canlas-back duck, woodpecker, red-wing -blackbird, de wood-duck, tu beau’ful futto kill; how -lubly de males is ’long side de females. Den ergin, -pursidder de roostus; don’ matter ef’n dey shankhy, -banty, game, er what not, dey’r boun’ ter hab lubly -feathers all streaked an’ striped same ez dem cattle -<span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>dat Jacob, de father ub de Petracks, owned. Mo’n -dat, ef’n two roostus fight, de one dat whups jes’ -crows, flaps his wings, an’ heah cums his wives an’ -de udder roostah’s wives all runnin’ off wid him. Dat’s -jes’ de way de ladies ’roun’ heah runs arfter Mars -Pinckney.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ezra seemed much pleased with his talk, and with -a wisp of burning grass in each hand, continued to -fire the marsh, and for the moment forgot my presence -and sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“We cum ter dis worl’ bof naked an’ bare,</div> - <div class='line'>We al’ays goes thoo it wid sorrow an’ care;</div> - <div class='line'>We go when we die de Lawd only nose wha’;</div> - <div class='line'>Ef’n you’r uh thurrybred heah, yo’ll be uh thurrybred da.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>Pretending to entirely dissent with Ezra and to -keep him interested and talkative, I said, “Well, how -about robins, doves, mocking birds, jack snipe, woodcock -and other birds where the male and female are -alike?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, boss, Mars Pinckney say ef’n you gib de -birds you kyant tell erbout uh wumm, ef’n <i>he</i> takes -it hit’s uh he, an ef’n <i>she</i> takes it hit’s uh she.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How about owls, Ezra; they look alike, and they -don’t eat worms?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, Noahy, dey tell me, name him de bird ub -wissum, an’ ub cose made him wise, an’ de female -kyant fool him, <i>like dey mos’ gen’ly kin de males</i>. Fuh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>instinct, when de female owls think deahsebs smart—bin -out all night an’ talkin’ in condidence ’mong -deahsebs erbout it—de male, ef’n he deceitful (<i>an’ -some males is</i>), kin lissen an’ nod his haid jes’ same -ez ef he wuz uh sleep an’ meck bleebe he uh lady -owl, an by an’ by all unbenonsted ter de lady owl, -fine out ef’n his wife bin uh tootin’ an’ uh hootin’ -erroun’. Mo’n dat, he mout erbin keepin’ comp’ny -hissef all night wid some sassy lady owl. <i>Dar’s wha -his wissum cum in.</i></p> - -<p class='c010'>“S’pose de gentlemens an’ ladies look jes’ like one -nerr an’ dress up de same, Lawdy, by an’ by heah wud -cum judgment day sho’ nuff, an’ we wud soon burhol -dis worl’ on fire an’ uh cislin’. So hit won’ do fuh -dem ter look de same, an’ we don’ wan’ no changin’, -deed we don’; we wants de males ter look proud an’ -prancin’ all de time, an’ de females ter burhol ’em an’ -not look sassy. I mos’ fogot one ub de lubliest ub -de fowls, dat will meck meh sponsibility stronger—dat’s -de peacock. When de peacock spreads his tail -in de spring an’ looks his peartest, dey tells me sometimes -de hens git too po’ ter lay; dey so in lub dey -jes’ eat nuffin; jes’ meddowtate an’ look at deah -mates struttin’ erbout. Da ain’ nuffin like uh peacock’s -tail ’ceppin sometimes in de fall when de dew -is ve’y heavy an’ sorter fog-like an’ fros’-like, jes’ uh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>little missy, an’ heah cum de sun risin’; an’ when hit -strikes de trees, bushes an’ wines full ub dat fog, fros’ -an’ mis’, da ain’ no rainbow er peacock’s tail kin hole -uh can’le ter it, I don’ keah who raises de peacock. -Well, boss, I am sho’ you see de application, but -strange futto say, Mars Pinckney, wid all his wissum -an’ pursidderin’, is, ’pears ter me, on de fence. -Natchelly, ub cose, he is s’pose ter change kase he got -so many sweethyarts. He is ve’y fon’ ub fishin’ wid -me. One day we wuz fishin’ fuh rock an’ tailor an’ -waitin’ fuh de tide ter tu’n. I rents meh house fum -him. I don’ al’ays pay at de lars’ ub de monf, er -de lars’ ub nex’ monf, an’ I owed him so much rent I -wuz mos’ ’fear’d ter argue wid him an’ talk ter him -wid all meh soul erboutin dis changin’ business ’roun’ -heah, an’ ub de lubliness ub de male in contras’ ter -de female; but I did it. Well, den he say, sorter -snuffin’ meh composation orf, ‘Ezra, you no mo’ erbout -sorf crabs, fish an’ watahmillions dan you do erbout -things changin’.’ Den he say, ‘Don’ people all erroun’ -heah change money, change deah names when -dey git merried? Don’ de watah we fish in change -fum ebb tide ter flood? Eggs ter chickens, sinnahs -ter moaners, sun, moon, win’ an’ seasons change. De -acorn changes ter de oak, peach stone ter de peach -tree. Wumms ter butterflies.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ezra, your Mars Pinckney is right. That’s the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>long and short of it. Your Parson changed baptizing -in salt water for fresh water. You have confessed -it, and you are changing all the time. Your -hair was once black, now it is white. To-day is -bright, cold, windy and sunny. To-morrow will be -changed; it can’t be just like to-day. Even your -oxen, Lawyer and Farmer, like a change. Grass is -good enough when there is no wheat field to jump -into, but when the wheat is green, sweet and rich, -they leave the grass.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jes’ so, boss, jes’ so.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why, you would get tired of bacon and cabbage -if you had it all the time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who, me? I nebba got tired ub it yit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And, Ezra, if Aunt Cassey, your good and kind -wife, hadn’t changed her mind and married you instead -of Uncle Snake Bit Jim, her name would now -be Mrs. Snake Bit Jim.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Dat’s what I say, boss; dat’s de application -ezactly. I don’ like dis changin’ business. Bless -Gord, I wish Cassey hadn’ change huh mine.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Memories of happier days come to us all. May -they soften the pillow of dear old Ezra. His first -wife was my nurse, and many a time his willing -hands, to give her’s rest, have rocked my cradle.</p> - -<div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_212f.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who could our baby tears repress</div> - <div class='line'>And lull us into drowsiness.</div> - <div class='line in24'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span> - <h2 class='c005'>MAMMY.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>There are pictures of the past in memory’s gallery -before which we love to linger. To one it is perhaps -the old homestead in the North, or the South. -To another, a woman’s face. To a woman mayhap -this picture is suggested by a simple tress of hair, or -fragrant dust, <i>once</i> violets, or an old letter, perchance -kissed many times, or tear-wet, who may know? To -me it is my old—</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='large'>MAMMY.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who nursed and fed us from her breast</div> - <div class='line'>And in her tender arms caressed?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who washed our faces, combed our hair</div> - <div class='line'>And tied us in our baby chair?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who soaped and bathed our little forms,</div> - <div class='line'>And rocked us in her loving arms?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>Who, when we stumped our little toes,</div> - <div class='line'>Put balsam on to heal our woes?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who could our baby tears repress,</div> - <div class='line'>And lull us into drowsiness?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who tucked us in our baby cot,</div> - <div class='line'>And all our badness soon forgot?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who always patted us to sleep,</div> - <div class='line'>And “Prayed the Lord our souls to keep?”</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Who rests from sorrow ’neath the sod,</div> - <div class='line'>And all the paths of duty trod?</div> - <div class='line in26'>Mammy.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span> - <h2 class='c005'>ANAH.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c014'>Uncle David, though threescore years and ten and -bent with age, was quite useful on the plantation, and -was not afraid of work. His labor, however, had not -been of a wearing kind. Once a week he drove Sue, -a kind and gentle mare, to the mill with a load of corn -and returned with bags of sweet cornmeal, the like of -which is hard to get nowadays.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In 1853 Sue foaled a bay mule colt with a black -stripe down his back that made a cross on his shoulders. -David christened the colt Anah, because he -heard Parson Phil Demby preach a <i>pow’ful</i> sermon -Christmas, the text of which was, “This was that -Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he -fed the asses of Zibion his father.”<a id='r19' /><a href='#f19' class='c012'><sup>[19]</sup></a></p> - -<p class='c010'>Anah was a lively colt, and when David went to the -mill often romped ahead of Sue on the road, much to -the anxiety of the mother, and sometimes in a don’t-care -way lagged behind for a quarter of a mile or -more; and though Uncle David characterized him as -<i>worrysome an’ scan’lous</i>, he was very fond of the colt -and the colt fond of him. By and by Anah was big -and old enough to break, and David soon had him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>going kindly and taking his old dam’s place in the -cart.</p> - -<p class='c010'>David was always relied upon to select and haul -the Christmas tree, which was placed in the brick -kitchen. It was literally a tree, and on its many -boughs hung gifts for the household and servants.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The woods loam was selected by David and hauled -by Anah for Kerchibell, the old Scotch gardener, who -put it on his early spring plants and flowers; indeed, -almost every day the mule was hauling something, -with David on the cart singing or nodding.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every Saturday at 12 o’clock the servants -were allowed to quit work and haul the seine. -The terrapins caught were brought to the mansion, -with a goodly number of spot, hog and other fish; the -rest of the fish the servants were allowed to market -for pin-money. At such times Uncle David was always -on deck with Anah.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For twenty-five years Anah did faithful work, and -David loved him and talked to him as though he was -a human being, and said, “Anah almos’ knew’d his A. -B. C’s.” Like most mules, however, in his old age -he got full of kinks, and would bite and kick anyone -but David, who said, “He hab grow’d ’ceitful an’ ub -cose I hab ter scole him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old man was very credulous and as easily -chaffed by his marster as Polonius was by Hamlet. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>For example: One day whilst Anah was kicking up -and putting on airs and David was grumbling and -saying, “He ain’ no good no how; I sut’ny am tired ub -dis mule,” his Mars Jimmy walked past the cart and -said, “I’m going to sell that worthless old mule and -get you a nice little mare I can buy at a bargain. True -she is hip-shot, spavined and very lazy, but will do for -your work.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>David was perplexed and disconsolate and at bed-hour -went to the stable. Anah was munching his -oats, and David, little and bent, stood behind the -mule, who switched his tail and laid back his ears as -if to say, You are going to take away my oats. The -old man’s eyes brimmed with tears; he had a big, kind -heart, and his affection for the mule was really touching. -Finally he said, “You recommember me all de -time, don’ you, Anah? Don’ I al’ays feed you good -an’ rub you an’ gib you uh sorf bed?” Then he -walked into the stall, stroked the mule’s ear and said, -“Jes’ ez sorf ez uh ’possum’s ear; you know I ain’ -gwine ter let ’em sell you, Anah. Mars Jimmy kyant -find an nerr mule in Talbot County like you. He -ain’ gwine ter sell you, an’ ef’n he do, he got ter -sell me wid you, dat he is! Well, da ain’ no tellin’; -Mars Jimmy mout sell dis mule ter-morry, so I’m -gwine ter sleep wid him dis night, fuh it mout be -de po’ mule’s lars’ night heah. I’ll put some mo’ hay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>in de bottom ub de manger, an’ wid dese corn-cobs -I’ll meck ub pillah, put meh coat on it, an’ den I’ll -kivver mehsef wid hay. Lemmy see—no, I won’ -teck meh shoes orf, kase I mout hab ter git up futto -git him some oats.” His bed arranged, the old man -said, “I heah Pawson Demby say dat our blessid Lawd -an’ Sabior wuz bawn in ub stable, so hit sut’ny good -ernuff fuh me.” Weary and sad, he leaned against -the manger, said his prayers, and then he snuggled in -the hay and sang his favorite hymn:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>“What kind ub shoes you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>Golden slippers!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub shoes you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>Golden slippers I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glitter-in’ sun.</b></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub crown you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>Star-ry crown!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub crown you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>Star-ry crown I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glitter-in’ sun.</b></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub robe you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>White robe!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub robe you gwine ter wear?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>White robe!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>Long white robe I’m bound ter wear, dat outshines de glit-ter-in’ sun.</b></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub hymn you gwine ter sing?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>New hymn!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>What kind ub hyarp you gwine ter play?</b></div> - <div class='line in4'><b>Golden hyarp!</b></div> - <div class='line'><b>Golden hyarp I’m bound ter play, dat outshines de glit—ter—in’——sun——.”</b></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>Then all was hushed!</p> - -<p class='c010'>Mayhap Uncle David dreamed he had on his golden -slippers that outshone the glittering sun, wore a starry -crown and long white robe, sang a new hymn, and -played upon a golden harp, for the Bible tells us—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c009'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><b>“The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.”</b></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c018' /> -<div class='footnote' id='f1'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. Robert Morris was the father of the revolutionary financier, -and Henry Callister, a philanthropist who befriended the deported -hapless Acadians, sent to Annapolis, Md., in 1775, and -gave large sums from his own pocket to relieve their suffering, -to the serious impairment of his moderate fortune.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f2'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. Macaulay says, “Our own firm belief is that he was.”</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f3'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. To appreciate this sermon the 29th chapter of Genesis should -be read if the reader is not familiar with the same.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f4'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. II Samuel xviii, 9, 10.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f5'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. Genesis, Chapter 32, Ver. 24, 25.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f6'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r6'>6</a>. Scipio Jones.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f7'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r7'>7</a>. Dr. John P. Durbin, one of the most eloquent of American -orators, was able to speak to a child with such beauty of expression -and propriety of enunciation that a company of educated ladies -and gentlemen were entranced. Conversation was suspended -and regret felt when the doctor turned from the delighted -child to the rest of the company. In an earlier period, when enfeebled -voice compelled him to suspend public efforts, he had -gone from cabin to cabin among the negroes on the plantations -of Kentucky, conversing with them on religion, and claimed that -by this process he acquired his marvelously simple style.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Extemporaneous Oratory, Buckley, p. 94.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f8'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r8'>8</a>. Samuel i, 19.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f9'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r9'>9</a>. II Samuel vi, 16.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f10'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r10'>10</a>. Exodus xxii, 18.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f11'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r11'>11</a>. See Little Billy’s Pumpkin.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f12'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r12'>12</a>. See Mars Pinckney’s ’Simmons.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f13'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r13'>13</a>. A negro superstition.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f14'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r14'>14</a>. Told the negroes he was a major in the war of 1812. He was -a teamster.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f15'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r15'>15</a>. Suspenders.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f16'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r16'>16</a>. Job vii, 7.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f17'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r17'>17</a>. A story of the late Senator Vance Versified.</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f18'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r18'>18</a>. “The legislature of Alabama donated to Miss Sanson a section -of the unappropriated public lands of the state as a testimonial -of the high appreciation of her services by the people of Alabama, -and directed the Governor of the State to provide and present -her with a gold medal, inscribed with suitable devices commemorative -of her conduct.”</p> -</div> -<div class='footnote' id='f19'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r19'>19</a>. Genesis xxxvi, 24.</p> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</h2> -</div> - <ol class='ol_1 c002'> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - - </li> - <li>Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together at the end of the - last chapter. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Ole Mars an' Ole Miss, by Edmund K. Goldsborough - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLE MARS AN' OLE MISS *** - -***** This file should be named 60807-h.htm or 60807-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/8/0/60807/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, MFR, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - - </body> - <!-- created with ppgen.py 3.57c on 2019-10-31 23:03:51 GMT --> -</html> diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3244be6..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_008f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_008f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7e28fb4..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_008f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_014f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_014f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3db4117..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_014f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_018f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_018f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6e0bd92..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_018f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_020f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_020f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 619faf4..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_020f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_028f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_028f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7fa7a50..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_028f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_032f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_032f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4b4ac70..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_032f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_048f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_048f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9e72264..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_048f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_050f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_050f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 45d48b9..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_050f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_062f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_062f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3b42db6..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_062f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_078f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_078f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 49506d5..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_078f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_090.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_090.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index bd47f60..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_090.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_090f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_090f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 80080ee..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_090f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_094f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_094f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0146ce1..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_094f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_106f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_106f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a03a5a4..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_106f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_112f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_112f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8a047bb..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_112f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_114f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_114f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ab73656..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_114f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_118f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_118f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c9cfebd..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_118f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_120f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_120f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d2af3be..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_120f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_128f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_128f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 9cddfe6..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_128f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_136f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_136f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1aa9004..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_136f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_140f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_140f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 82b56be..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_140f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_152f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_152f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5ad5545..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_152f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_170f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_170f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e083313..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_170f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_172f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_172f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1f4e5c2..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_172f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_174f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_174f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index b6ed35c..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_174f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_176f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_176f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f7cb2f2..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_176f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_182f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_182f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e05eeeb..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_182f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_184f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_184f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 70b96a1..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_184f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_190f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_190f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7392869..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_190f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_194f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_194f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4f43748..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_194f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_196f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_196f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f54100b..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_196f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_212f.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_212f.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 8ae935c..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_212f.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_acorns.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_acorns.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index c5834f7..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_acorns.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_frontis.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_frontis.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index d3fad13..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_frontis.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/60807-h/images/i_title.jpg b/old/60807-h/images/i_title.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 115039e..0000000 --- a/old/60807-h/images/i_title.jpg +++ /dev/null |
